P4: EVA
by Indigo Iris
Summary: P4 x NGE, Normal!Ending In a world where Second Impact never was, Shinji Ikari moves to Inaba after a slew of murders. Accompanied by his childhood friend Kaworu and his new classmates, Shinji must save the world from the shadows of their own psyches...
1. Prologue

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: **P4 SPOILERS AHOY. **This story is a crossover between **Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4** and **Neon Genesis Evangelion. **If you are familiar with the P4 Fandom, please take note of these things: the story takes place straight after the protagonist leaves Inaba, HOWEVER this is the **NORMAL** ending. In that ending, Izanami was never discovered, but Adachi was brought to justice. The ending in which Izanami was discovered is the **TRUE** ending (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong). Characters from the NGE fandom appearing in this story are, at lack of a better term, "AU". If you are a NGE fan reading the story, don't be surprised to not see anyone from NGE in the prologue. They will appear in the first chapter. _

_**Disclaimer**: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by Atlus. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX. I'm just a (huge) fan.  
_

* * *

* * *

**PROLOGUE: When the Fool's Journey is Over**

**March 21****st****, 2012**

**Weather: Sunny**

It seemed that they had so little time to be together. It seemed only yesterday that Souji Seta arrived in Inaba and befriended all of them, guiding them through an investigation. But today, March 21st, 2012, he had left. Souji was in Inaba no longer.

They watched the train speed away, the orange cars shrinking with distance. And soon, it wasn't visible any longer. The seven adolescents continued to wave and yell, believing their words could still reach him. But after ten minutes of this, they stopped and looked at each other. Rise Kujikawa began to burst into tears, wiping her face with her sleeves.

"I can't believe he's gone! I-I'm gonna miss Senpai..." Rise wailed, balling her eyes out.

"Hey, Rise, don't worry about that. He'll be back." Chie reassured the underclassman, though she was fighting against tears herself. She wiped her right eye, shutting her eyes for a moment to wipe away her moment of weakness.

"Yosuke-senpai said the right thing. No matter how far apart we are, we're always friends." Naoto quoted Yosuke from before, when the group chased Souji as he sped off in the train back to the city.

"Yeah, that's the only inspirational thing he'll _ever _say." Chie mocked. Yosuke glared straight at her.

"Hey! I say some pretty good stuff now and then!" Yosuke argued. Chie rolled her eyes, and Yukiko let out a chuckle. Rise wiped her eyes clean and she smiled.

"I know he'll be back, but I'll still miss him." Rise said, her voice still shaken with sadness. Kanji nodded.

"We all will." he stated, looking down and away from the others. "He was our leader."

"He still is," Yosuke said. "No one else can equal his determination and devotion to all of us."

"That's our Sensei." Teddie nodded in agreement with Yosuke. "Always looking out for all of us!" Teddie grinned.

"It won't be long until he comes and visits, I know it. And besides, he said he'd come back for the long vacation in May, right?" Yosuke reminded the group, looking specifically at Yukiko. Yukiko _was _the one that said they would be able to stay in her inn again for that special occasion. Yukiko smiled.

"Yes, it won't be long. And he'll still be in touch." Yukiko spoke so quietly it almost seemed like a whisper, though a faint smile traced along her lips. Her hands gripped something near her chest. The group looked to her as she spoke, staring at whatever she held in her hands.

"Yuki-chan, what is that?" Teddie asked curiously. Yukiko's eyes widened and she nearly jumped from being startled.

"H-huh? Oh. Souji-san gave this to me yesterday..." she trailed off, her cheeks flushing. Yosuke smirked.

"Oooh, what could he have given you?" Yosuke walked over toward Yukiko, trying to delicately remove whatever Yukiko held from her grip. But she backed off, glaring at him.

"None of your business." Yukiko pocketed it, and the rest of the group reflected their disappointment.

"You're no fun." Yosuke frowned.

"It better not be a love letter..." Rise folded her arms in front of her chest, visible jealousy on her face.

The group stayed at the station for another hour, talking amongst themselves. They couldn't find any reason to go back home, and many of them didn't want to face the fact that Souji Seta no longer lived in Inaba. They wouldn't see him everyday at school or living with Dojima and Nanako. He was back home with his parents. Somewhere far away from them.

Yosuke was one of the last to leave the station with Teddie. The sun had gone down by that point, leaving the sky dark and starry. It was a clear night. Teddie stared at the train tracks illuminated by the lights hanging nearby benches.

"Yosuke, is he really going to come back soon?" Teddie asked sadly. Yosuke looked at Teddie, then at the tracks.

"Yeah, I know he will. We should go home. We've got work tomorrow." Yosuke sounded sure, but within he didn't feel the same way. Souji was a busy guy; Yosuke even knew that from his life here in Inaba. He was the kind of guy who made friends with everyone.

Yosuke and Teddie left the station and headed back to Yosuke's house. The walk felt different. Maybe it was because Yosuke didn't walk much. He was so used to his bike. But even that was going to feel different, he assumed. Biking to school in his third year of high school wouldn't be the same, because if he crashed into a trash can, Souji Seta wouldn't be the person to help him out of it. Souji is his best friend, and no one can replace that.

He opened the door to his house to find his mom and dad toasting glasses of wine. He and Teddie stared, rather confused at the situation.

"Yosuke, hunny! Welcome home!" his mother rushed to him and hugged him. Yosuke cringed at the sudden kiss on his forehead.

"M-mom! What's going on?" Yosuke wiped the kiss off, a look of surprise and embarrassment on his face.

"Hello Teddie, how are you this evening?" Yosuke's mother cheerfully hugged Teddie in the same manner, though Teddie responded in a much more positive way than Yosuke.

"Mrs. Hanamura, what's going on?" Teddie asked. "Are we celebrating something? Ooh, is it Yosuke's birthday?" Teddie beamed as he looked at the orange-haired teenager.

"No dear, Yosuke's father was promoted today." Yosuke's mother stated. Yosuke's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"D-dad? What does that mean?" Yosuke's first thought wasn't 'congratulations'.

"Nothing, nothing. We aren't moving, Yosuke. I've just been promoted to regional manager of the Junes chain. Isn't that something we should be celebrating?" Yosuke's father raised his wine glass and Yosuke tried to force a smile.

"That's great, dad!" Yosuke exclaimed, trying to sound impressed. He had no idea his dad could go higher. But what did that mean for _him_? For _himself_?

"So, uh, does that mean there's going to be a new manager of Junes?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes dear, they've already hired someone. He's supposed to come by tomorrow, and you and your father will probably go meet him." Yosuke's mother stated.

"Can I meet him too?" Teddie asked excitedly. "A new manager means he has to approve my Teddie-ness!" Teddie glowed with excitement and joy. Yosuke wasn't sure how to answer Teddie. Teddie would always be the mascot of Junes for as long as he wanted to be. He had no doubt that the manager would keep him, no matter who he was.

"Well, you'll end up meeting him soon anyway, so why not?" Yosuke's father grinned and poured another glass. "Best go to bed early son, you do have work tomorrow. And though I may not be at this Junes all the time, I still expect you to do your job."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Yosuke shrugged off his dad's nagging as he walked past his parents and towards the stairs to head up to his bedroom. Teddie hastily followed.

"Good night Mr. and Mrs. Hanamura!" Teddie yelled to them as he reached to the top of the stairs, blowing them both a kiss. Yosuke cringed as he witnessed that, getting to his room as quickly as possible. The parents chuckled, and as Yosuke's bedroom door slammed, they looked at each other.

"Why is that Teddie boy staying with us again?"

~*~*~

"Amagi-san, is the hot springs open to women?"

"In an hour it will be."

Yukiko sighed as she leaned against the customer service desk of the Amagi Inn, the first few hours of her shift going by slowly. Her ink black hair covered her eyes as she continued to lean forward, too deep in thought to really adjust it. She reached into her pocket, taking out what she had tried to keep from the group earlier. A photo of her and Souji with Souji's handwriting.

'_I'll always love you, Yukiko._'

Cliché, but it still made her heart melt. She and Souji were dating while he was in Inaba, and still dating now. Long distance, she assured him, would do nothing to harm them. She told him if it didn't work out, well...

Yukiko hoped it would. She kept trying to tell herself it would work. She was ready to try everything. Letters, e-mail, using one of those web cameras, everything she could think of to contact him when he wasn't there. But his absence depressed her. He really changed everyone, especially her. Yukiko was ready to run away from the life she was leading, but he reminded her of how important the Amagi Inn was.

"Yuki-chan?"

Yukiko looked up at hearing her name, her hair falling back to reveal her facial features.

"Oh, Kasai." Yukiko smiled.

"Thinking about that boy, Yuki-chan?" she smiled, and Yukiko blushed.

"O-oh, well..."

"I wouldn't blame you. He left today, right? I'm sorry to hear he won't be around anymore, but I have faith the two of you will keep in touch."

Her words were reassuring. It was almost like Kasai personified her inner thoughts. The fellow inn worker did so much for her, just like the chefs of the inn who tried to help her cook.

"So, when is school starting? To think you'll be a third year! Oh, our Yuki-chan is growing up so fast..."

"O-oh, er..." Yukiko tried to think of the date when school started. It wasn't too far off, now that she thought about it. It was almost the end of March, and school started a couple of weeks into April. She hadn't realized how far they had come. And they _would _be in their third year of high school, wouldn't they? Yukiko decided she would go pray at the shrine tomorrow so that luck would be on her side for class assignments. Being in Chie and Yosuke's class would be the best thing.

"I can help you shop for supplies if you'd like, Yuki dear..."

"No, I'm alright. But thanks, Kasai-san." Yukiko smiled sweetly, and Kasai smiled in return.

The night went on. Yukiko finished up her work at the customer service desk and went to bed. Yosuke and Teddie fell asleep earlier than that, trying to sleep so that they could get up early to head to Junes. Kanji had done some work for his family's textile shop, finishing the last touches on a panda doll he was making. Rise filed through old photos of the group, wanting to stare at her gray-haired idol for a bit longer before she prepared to accept the fact that he wasn't physically here. Chie had been surprised in the month of February with a new copy of "Trial of the Dragon", given to her by the very guy who broke it before. She re-watched it that night for old times sake (but told herself not to give it to Yosuke again).

Naoto stared at the blank television screen that night. Was everything truly over? It wasn't raining tonight, so she knew if there was to be anything, it wouldn't be there. The world beyond the television still existed, and that was rather troublesome. Though she had told Souji it couldn't be used for evil, she couldn't be one hundred percent sure. Was capturing Adachi really the final step? Something seemed quite out of place. There were still so many questions unanswered. What was the TV world? How did it come to be? What is the Midnight Channel? So many questions flooded her head, and no logical answers came in response. She lay under the blankets of her bed and stared at the ceiling as she tried to sleep. She tried to convince herself that it was over, but that feeling of insecurity told her it _wasn't_.

There had to be more. If questions remained, it couldn't be over.

~*~*~

The Moel Gas Station at the far west of the shopping district was about ready to close around midnight. Being out in the country, not many had the need to stop for gas at this late hour.

And though she only came to work on rainy days, some days were an exception. The Moel Gas Attendant stood nearby the gas station, finishing her work for the night. She was locking up the convenience store alone, something she was used to. Working alone.

'_It looks like my work did not result in success. Mankind still suffers._' She thought, the dull eyes underneath her cap glowing slightly as the lights of the station flickered off. '_Those I have given the potential to are gone._' She recalled the three who shook hands with her upon their arrival to Inaba. A man named Taro Namatame, who stood for emptiness. A man named Tohru Adachi, who stood for despair. And Souji Seta, who stood for hope. All three were tested, but only one managed to surprise her. Souji Seta's power of the Wild Card surpassed her expectations, and those of Ameno-Sagiri. Her spawn had accepted their power, but she did not. Mankind could not live peacefully in the world they tried to protect. So, she would try again.

For she was granted access to a new power.

**To be continued.**


	2. I

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: I understand that there might be some confusion regarding the Gas Attendant's gender. For the sake of things, the Gas Attendant will be referred to as a "she". Yosuke's father is given a fanon name for the story, Yuuta. The character for 'yuu' stands for 'gentleness' or 'superiority', while 'ta' is 'thick' or 'big'. Fun facts are fun, right? _

_**Disclaimer: **Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX.  
_

* * *

**ONE: Arrival of a New World Fool**

**March 22****nd****, 2012**

**Weather: Sunny**

His music was the only thing keeping him from being bored out of his skull.

Tuned out of the world, he stared out the window and counted the number of red cars that drove by. Melodies pulsed through his ears, his eyes close to closing. But no matter how tired he was he found he couldn't sleep in the moving car. He just couldn't. It was like how some people couldn't sleep on trains or planes; the movement just didn't allow for them to really settle and fall asleep.

"We're almost there."

His father's voice was calm as usual, but it was loud enough to break through his own music. His dull gaze brightened at being spoken to, but it soon darkened again. His father usually didn't speak to him unless deemed necessary.

Though some kids his age were used to moving to many places, Shinji Ikari wasn't. This was his first time moving from the city to somewhere out in the rural country. He was moving to a town he had never even heard of until a week ago. His father was the one who gave him late notice. He had come home from school one day, that day being normal and typical like it was all the days before it. However, unlike usual, his father was home early. His dad worked hard and usually didn't come home until much later. That's the way it was since his mom had passed away. But his presence in the kitchen as he arrived home surprised him, almost made him scream and think that someone had broken into the house.

"Shinji, I have some news." he spoke calmly, but didn't meet his eye line. His father really never spoke to him _directly_. He did sometimes, but only if he were deadly serious.

"W-what is it?" Shinji remembered how nervous he felt. Well, now that he thought about it, he couldn't think of a time when his dad _didn't _make him nervous.

"We're moving."

Straight to the point. Just like Gendo Ikari would be. Shinji couldn't recall much of that memory after he said those words. Maybe he went up to his room, maybe he took a walk. He didn't remember saying anything in response, and didn't remember his dad doing anything to comfort him if he did seem upset.

But here he was now, sitting in the backseat of the car, listening to Pachelbel's Canon on the highest volume his ears could bear. Shinji had counted all the red vehicles he had seen on the road out of boredom, something to keep himself entertained.

And then, the car stopped. Shinji blinked and he looked out the window. They had parked at a gas station. Were they here? He saw his father get out of the car. He heard muffled voices through his music and removed his headphones.

"Welcome to Moel Gas, sir!" an attendant's cheery voice came through the glass on his window. Shinji saw the attendant speaking with his father, the attendant garbed in a very bright red and yellow uniform. Shinji decided to get out to stretch his legs. As Shinji slammed the car door, he saw his father shoot a glance at him before his attention returned to the attendant. It looked like the attendant was trying to engage his dad in small talk while she filled up the tank.

"Oh, hey there!" the attendant said, smiling. Shinji had to guess it was a woman. Her voice was high enough. Shinji tried not to play the gender-guessing game in his head. He was way too tired for that.

"H-hello." Shinji timidly answered. The attendant laughed.

"Well, aren't you shy. New to town, aren't you? You here for a vacation or what?" the attendant asked curiously, placing her hand on the nozzle stuck in the back of the car, currently filling up gas.

"We're moving here..." Shinji answered quietly. He tried to smile, but it was forced.

"You and your dad, huh?" the attendant looked at Gendo, who adjusted his sunglasses and folded his arms in front of his chest, waiting for the gas to finish filling up. "Well, welcome to Inaba then! There's really not much to do here, but at least it's more peaceful now than it's been before." the attendant chuckled.

'_Before?_' Shinji thought curiously. What did she mean by that? Should he ask?

"Ah yes, those murder cases. Did they catch the culprit?" Gendo didn't even move his head to look the attendant in the eye, but it was clear he was listening in.

"Oh yeah." the attendant answered. "It was a detective on the force too! I can't believe how that slipped through the police's fingers. It took them a whole ten months to solve the case too. The police were really embarrassed about it. But wait, did you hear about it if you came from the city? Wow! News sure travels fast." the attendant seemed really into the case, but something like that made Shinji cringe.

'_There were murder cases here?_' Shinji thought, suddenly feeling a hole in his stomach. The attendant saw the fear on his face and laughed.

"Aw, don't worry about it anymore. There aren't any more murders. It's all over now. Inaba's the safest place in Japan, I promise you that. Hey kid, how old are you?" the attendant asked, finally removing the nozzle from the car. Shinji hesitated to answer.

"Fifteen." he glanced over at Gendo before answering. Gendo didn't react.

"Oh, so I'm guessing you're just starting high school this year? Well, if you ever need a job or something to 'round here, feel free to come on by." she extended a hand to Shinji for him to shake. Shinji slowly extended his own hand, unsure. But he had to be polite. This was the first person he had met in his new hometown, and now she was offering him a job.

"Thank you..." Shinji said, grasping her hand in his for a handshake. Their eyes met as the handshake finished. As Shinji's hand dropped back down toward his waist, the attendant walked back over toward Gendo.

"Alrighty, she's all filled up for you. Your total comes to..."

Suddenly, Shinji felt sick. There was a sharp stab in his stomach, and he leaned against the hood of the car for support.

"Come on, let's go." Gendo took no notice of his sudden reaction. But as soon as his father spoke, Shinji managed to recover himself. It was only a sudden jolt. He nodded and slowly walked back to the car door. As he opened it, he saw the attendant waving to him.

"Take care now, guys! Come back anytime!"

~*~*~

Finally, Yosuke was on break.

Yosuke let out a sigh of relief as he sat in the Junes break room, opening a bottle of TaP. He sipped it, the soda tasting stronger than usual. He let out a cough.

"Aw man, too much carbonation..." he tried to breathe out. He looked up to see the cheerful mascot of Junes waltz in, the squeaks from Teddie's uniform being a sound he was very used to.

"So when is our new boss coming again?" Teddie asked. Yosuke sighed.

"Soon. I'm not sure _when _exactly, but he's coming soon. Dad said he'd be here around four, but hearing where he's coming from, he could be late." Yosuke took another sip.

"What'dya mean?" the strange bear mascot asked.

"He's coming in from the city." Yosuke explained. "It's a bit of a hike from here. We _are _out in the boonies." he used to be ashamed of that fact, and to be honest, he wasn't even proud of that now. But being with Souji helped him realize how important Inaba was to him. So he wasn't mad about living here. But seeing another person from the city, that would shock more sense into him. Yosuke was thankful it was an adult.

Unless of course this guy had a kid. Then Yosuke would curse whoever was trying to make him move back to the city.

"Hanamura!" a voice called from outside the break room. Yosuke stood up, dusting off the Junes apron.

"What is it?" Yosuke asked, walking past Teddie and nearby the break room door. "Is he here?"

"Sure is. Just got here. C'mon, your dad's already outside shaking hands with the guy!"

Yosuke muttered something to himself and ran out of the break room. Teddie waddled over to where Yosuke was sitting before and began to take off the costume. His blond-haired human self emerged from the wide body and he raced after Yosuke. He really wanted to meet this guy. Teddie really wasn't sure why. Meeting new people just sounded like so much fun to him. Teddie really loved _everything _about this world.

"I'm Yuuta Hanamura, regional manager of the national Junes chain. You must be Gendo Ikari."

Yosuke's father was indeed already introducing himself to the man who had arrived only moments earlier. The two shook hands. Yosuke's father found it a bit difficult to make eye contact with Gendo, as his sunglasses made it tougher to see where his eyes actually were. But in that same moment, Yosuke's father saw the boy standing at Gendo's side.

"And you must be Gendo's son." Yosuke's father smiled.

"I'm Shinji Ikari." Shinji introduced himself, expecting to shake hands with him. He got a very firm and tight handshake in return, the grip of his dad's new boss nearly squishing his hand. Shinji tried not to verbally react to the strength of his grip.

Their handshake broke as they heard Yosuke and Teddie approach. Yosuke's father turned around to see his own son and the company mascot arrive and he gestured to them.

"Ikari-san, this is my son, Yosuke. He works at the store himself. And this is the company's mascot, Teddie. He works mostly at the children's department and food court."

"A pleasure to meet you." Gendo said simply, looking up at Yosuke. Yosuke nodded in response.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too." Yosuke tried to smile for his new boss. The man seemed a bit intimidating. Teddie didn't seem too phased by it.

"Wow, you're our new boss! Check out those glasses! Hey Yosuke, do all people in the city wear stuff like that?" Teddie dived right into bizarre questions. Yosuke grimaced and Shinji's eyes widened at his extroverted statement.

"Er..." Yosuke's dad smiled nervously as he turned to Yosuke and Teddie.

"Hey guys, why don't you show Shinji-kun around the place? Is that alright, Ikari-san?" Yosuke's father turned around to face the two Ikari family members. Gendo nodded.

"It's fine. Go on." Gendo looked down at Shinji, and Shinji timidly moved forward towards Yosuke.

"Well, we should go off and discuss matters. Go ahead and get something to eat from the food court if you're hungry, Shinji. It'll be on us tonight." Yosuke's father said with a smile as he began to lead Gendo off toward the staff offices of the building.

With the adults gone, it was just Shinji, Yosuke, and Teddie standing in the middle of the store. The cheery music playing over the loudspeakers was no surprise to Shinji, as most department stores in the city did the same thing. But really, Shinji had little to no idea why they were moving. His dad was going to manage a _department store_? The idea seemed a bit crazy to him, but Shinji really didn't have a say. He looked up at Yosuke.

"You're his son, right?" Yosuke asked curiously. Shinji nodded. Yosuke felt cursed.

"Another comer from the city. Man, they just really want me back." Yosuke pushed his hair back, and Shinji looked confused. What did he mean by that? Did he do something wrong?

"Oh well. Hey, I'll show you around." Yosuke put on a small smile for Shinji and began to walk further into the store. "I know our dads introduced ourselves, but I'll introduce myself to you personally. I'm Yosuke Hanamura."

"I'm Shinji Ikari." Shinji introduced, trying to copy Yosuke's attempt at a smile. Teddie grinned.

"And I'm Teddie, the beloved mascot of Junes!" Teddie introduced loudly and proudly. Shinji backed off a bit from the blond-haired boy. To Shinji, Teddie seemed like the kind of guy who stepped right out of a shoujo manga (not that he had read many of those). What did they call those? _Bishounen_ or something like that...

"Are you going to work here?" Yosuke asked. Shinji wasn't sure. So he shrugged.

"I have no idea..." Shinji answered rather blandly. Yosuke frowned.

"Man, you're just drained of energy, aren't you? Was the ride here long?" Yosuke asked.

"Y-yeah, I had to get up pretty early. But that wasn't too bad, I guess." Shinji felt tired and drained, but a bit carsick as well. Was it carsickness? He was sure it was. But he usually didn't get carsick. But then again, he hadn't ever been in a car for so long.

"Geez, that's too bad. But at least you'll probably get to sleep in tomorrow. Hey, where are you going to school?" Yosuke asked. Shinji had to think about that for a second. His dad had given him the application to fill out, but the name didn't come to him.

"It stated with a Ya..." Shinji tried to remember. Yosuke's eyes widened.

"Oh, Yasogami High." Yosuke knew that was one of the only schools in the area with that name. "That's where I go." Shinji couldn't say he was surprised. This town seemed very small, so he assumed there weren't too many high schools. But he felt a bit more secure knowing he would know someone there, even if he didn't know him or her all too well.

"You'll like it there. There are lots of fun people." Teddie said with a grin. "I wish I could go to school..." Teddie's grin dropped in a single moment.

"You don't go to school?" Shinji asked. He seemed like he would be a year younger than Yosuke. Sixteen, maybe seventeen?

"Nope." Teddie sighed.

"Don't worry about Teddie. He doesn't need to go to school." Yosuke elbowed the mascot rather hard, and Teddie flinched.

"Ow, Yosuke! What was that for?"

"You know, stupid bear." Yosuke hissed. Shinji decided not to ask.

They continued the tour of the department store, each new department being introduced blandly by Yosuke, and a bit more excitingly by Teddie. Shinji wasn't sure how to wrap his mind around these two distinctly opposite personalities. If he decided to work here, he'd have to deal with both. It almost seemed like Yosuke was _bored _of the work he did here, but Shinji didn't blame him. He remembered what the attendant had said earlier about there not being much to do. Maybe getting a job was a good idea. But he knew he'd have studies and such, and his dad probably wouldn't give him the job anyway. Shinji didn't exactly have the best social skills.

As the three finally made it to the food court, Shinji eyed the vending machine.

"Is it alright if I get something to drink?" Shinji spoke up. Yosuke looked a bit confused, but nodded.

"Yeah, of course. It's your free will." Yosuke wasn't sure why he asked permission. He could have just gone over and got one. But once Yosuke said 'yes', Shinji walked over and began to insert coins into the machine. Yosuke sat down at a table and leaned back in the chair. It was nearly closing time. He sighed. Teddie sat down next to him, and soon Shinji came and sat across from them with a can of soda.

"Er, I...liked the store." Shinji tried to express thanks for being toured. Yosuke displayed a half-smile.

"Yeah, it's something isn't it? But don't be surprised if you hear stuff around the town about this place putting the shopping district out of business." Yosuke explained. Shinji frowned.

"So there's another shopping center or something?" Shinji asked curiously.

"Man, this really is your first day, isn't it?" Yosuke sounded unimpressed. "Once you see everything in this town, you'll be seeing it basically three times a week. There's really nothing you can do here except study and hang out with friends. And work if you decide to do stuff like that." Yosuke stared up at the sky.

"I see." Shinji said quietly, staring down at his soda.

~*~*~

An hour had passed since the tour, and after some small talk, Gendo and Yosuke's father came to the food court to gather the adolescents. Yosuke said goodbye to the Ikari family, and Teddie waved frantically to them, hoping to see them soon. Shinji wasn't sure how to react to the overly extroverted Teddie and the very awkward Yosuke, but watched them as they left with eager eyes.

Gendo and Shinji drove to their new home, a house close to the shopping district. It wasn't enormous, but it wasn't small either. Just a standard house suitable for their new life. Shinji wasn't sure how to react as he stepped into his new house, seeing it empty and large. He was holding a box of items he wanted to personally take with him from the city. His dad said the movers with the rest of the furniture would come tomorrow. He was also told to pick a bedroom, but that was all the interaction he got from his dad that night.

Shinji put his box of possessions down in a smaller room on the second floor, where the lone window faced outward toward the street to where he could see passing cars. He sighed, digging through the box to find his futon. In his haste, his cell phone dropped out of his pants pocket. As Shinji picked it up, it began to vibrate. The caller ID read 'Kaworu Nagisa'.

"Hello?" Shinji answered.

"Shinji! Did you make it alright?" a cheery voice came through the receiver.

"Y-yeah." Shinji answered.

"So, how is it? Quiet? Peaceful? I hear the country's wonderful for that sort of thing." Kaworu sounded anxious to hear what Shinji thought of the place.

"It's...interesting." Shinji really couldn't come up with another word. Kaworu laughed.

"Well, I guess I'll see for myself next week. We're packing our stuff too, so it won't be long until we can see each other."

"Oh, right. You're coming here too..." Shinji felt a little better knowing his childhood friend was moving with him. It almost seemed too good to be true when he had heard that. Kaworu Nagisa and Shinji Ikari had known each other since elementary school, and his dad was friends with Kaworu's parents. And if he remembered correctly, Shinji's mom was a good friend of Kaworu's parents too.

"I should probably let you get some sleep now, right? It's been a long day, I'm sure." Kaworu told Shinji, sounding tired himself.

"Thanks." Shinji smiled.

"No problem. Hey, I'll call tomorrow night." Kaworu said.

"Sure, talk to you later." Shinji said quietly. He heard Kaworu hang up on the other side.

Shinji put the phone back in his pocket after hanging up on his end, preparing to roll out his futon for the night. He didn't feel much like changing into his pajamas, which he had also packed into the box. He just wanted to collapse. He felt so _tired_. More tired than before. Crawling under the blanket, he laid his head against the pillow he'd brought. He stared at the wall in front of him. He reached back into his pocket for his music player and stuck the ear buds back into his ears. Classical music began to play, though much more softly than before. His eyes began to droop, and before he even knew it himself, he had fallen asleep in this strange new bedroom.

**To be continued**


	3. II

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: I don't think there's much to explain here. Ask me questions if there's any confusion about anything. I hope you're enjoying the story. :3_

_**Disclaimer: **Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 belongs to ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to GAINAX. Two psychologically traumatizing fandoms for the price of one! How much better can it get? _

_

* * *

_**TWO: What Begins Must End, What Ends Must Begin**

**????  
**

**????**

**Weather: ????**

Blue. There was blue everywhere.

His eyes slowly lifted open, and he was no longer asleep on the floor. Rather, he was awake and sitting up. The seat was cushy, and the entire interior seemed to be moving. It was a strange sensation. It was almost like he was in a car. But the interior was far too fancy for that. He looked to the side. Nothing but a cushioned wall of the same blue that was everywhere. He looked behind him. There was a small and thin window that stretched across the width of the back wall. However, he couldn't see anything through it. It was gray outside, and he could only see wisps of fog.

"Welcome."

An unfamiliar voice made him jump, making him turn back around to face the front. Before him sat a man. And a very odd man at that. Was he dreaming? He had to be. A man sitting before him couldn't have possibly existed in real life. Hunched over and rather old in appearance, the man had a nose that extended a full foot away from his face. Silver locks of hair ran down the side of his face, stopping at the lobes of his pointed ears. His eyes bulged out, bloodshot veins visible. He wore a fine tuxedo, a gloved hand placed under his chin.

Shinji wanted to blurt out the obvious. '_Who are you? Why am I here?_' he heard his own mind scream in fear, but he couldn't muster the voice. It was then he noticed that this strange man sitting across from him wasn't alone. A woman sat to his side. A rather beautiful and mature looking woman garbed in blue drew invisible circles on a book she held in her lap. The woman, however, wore a mask upon her face. Her facial features couldn't be seen.

"My name is Igor." the man spoke again. Shinji gulped, his attention back on the strange-looking man. "And this is the Velvet Room."

'_Velvet Room?_' Shinji was utterly confused to say the least. But with an eager expression on his face, he continued to listen to the strange man. His voice was eerie, yet insightful. Who, or what was this man?

"The Velvet Room is a place between mind and matter, dream and reality. It is quite a rare occasion that we have guests. But it is quite fortunate that a new guest should come visit us so quickly right after we previously had another." Igor spoke slowly and formally, never blinking or breaking his gaze from Shinji's eye line. Shinji wondered what he meant by 'another guest'. This was certainly a strange place. He wondered if anyone could _actually _come here.

"Do you believe in fortune telling?" the minute Shinji had taken his eyes off of Igor, the small table in front of Igor suddenly had a deck of cards upon it. But they didn't appear to be a deck of playing cards. Shinji had no idea of what was going on, but still ever curious, he continued to listen. He bit his lip. He wasn't sure of how to respond to Igor. Did he believe in such things? His father always thought it was foolish. He was a man of science. Did that make Shinji one as well?

"Hm, I see. You have a very interesting spread before you." Igor sounded impressed, though very calm. Cards from the deck began to float and shuffle, creating a strange pattern on the tabletop. A card flipped over. It revealed the image of a woman dancing in the sky holding two rods.

"Ah, the World in the upright position represents the immediate past. Something has been resolved. A rather large calamity is over with, but is that truly the end? The World signifies an end, but also a beginning. What ends something must also ignite another. What is this card igniting for you, I wonder?"

Another card flipped over. Igor made an audible 'ooh' sound. The woman sitting by his side lifted her head for a moment to glance at the cards being revealed on the tabletop.

"The Moon card in the upright position represents the current present. How marvelous! This card appeared in the spread of our last guest. The Moon signifies the mystery that will come upon you. Questions shall be asked, as not everything has been satisfied!" with a wave of his hand, the cards vanished into thin air.

"Ah!" Shinji exclaimed at seeing the cards vanish. Igor chuckled.

"You are not used to the unusual, I take it. Nonetheless, you have been bestowed with a special power. And that is why you have been granted access to our Velvet Room." Igor explained.

"Special...power?" Shinji asked slowly. His voice was quiet and meek, but Igor still heard it. He nodded only once.

"You come to know of it in due time. And when you do learn of it, I will summon you once again in your dreams. It will be then that you will be informed of everything you need to know. But until then, I wish you well."

And in a moment, the blue in the room turned to black, and everything vanished.

~*~*~

"What is his name?"

"Shinji Ikari."

"An interesting name. He is bound to the "contract" as well, just as the previous guest was."

"Yes, I know."

"And you know of the one who came before you?"

"Yes, I know of her as well."

"I hope that you do not end up like her, and the one that even came before her."

"I will not. My duty is here is my only duty."

~*~*~

**April 13****th****, 2012**

**Early Morning  
**

**Weather: Cloudy**

His eyes slowly opened.

"An unfamiliar ceiling..." Shinji muttered. He lifted out of bed, rubbing his right eye. He still wasn't used to the fact that this was his room now.

It had been a couple weeks since he had moved to Inaba, and yet everything felt so unfamiliar. Nothing had really occurred that was memorable or worthwhile. He hadn't even managed to have many encounters with the people he had met at Junes the day he had moved here. Shinji didn't feel much like adventuring. He wasn't the type for that. The only days he could remember going outside were the days he went to visit Kaworu and to help him get settled.

Kaworu Nagisa, his childhood friend, had moved to Inaba with him. Shinji wasn't sure where his parents worked in town, but he knew Kaworu didn't move too far away from where his new house was. It made Shinji happy to know that Kaworu was coming with him to his new life in this strange town.

And speak of the devil; his phone began to ring as he lifted himself off the bed. Kaworu's name was on the caller ID.

"Hello?" Shinji answered.

"Today's the first day of school. Are you ready? Let's walk to class together." Kaworu sounded excited through the receiver. Shinji smiled.

"I think so." Shinji answered the question. He yawned. Kaworu chuckled.

"Well, I'll be over in a few minutes." Kaworu hung up. Shinji hung up on his end and turned off the cell phone. He put it down on his desk where he'd remember to pick it up before going to school. Walking over to the dresser, he pulled out the uniform sent to him a week ago. The new uniform smelled weird and was very different from the one at his old school. Because the summer terms didn't start until June, he took out the black winter uniform jacket to put over the button-down shirt. It fit fine, but it didn't feel natural to him. He looked at himself in the mirror with a dull expression.

'_Here goes nothing._'

The doorbell rang moments later. Shinji grabbed his bag and phone and opened the door to see his silver-haired friend.

"Morning, Shinji!" Kaworu greeted in his normally cheerful voice. Shinji nodded.

"Morning." Shinji shut the door behind him. He knew his dad had probably already left to set up Junes for the day, or something like that. As the two left the area of the neighborhood and towards the school, they didn't exchange many words.

"Are you enjoying it here in Inaba so far?" Kaworu asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm not...used to it yet." Shinji answered honestly. Kaworu nodded.

"I can understand that. Hopefully going to school will make it better."

The two teenage boys continued to walk along, seeing several students wearing the same uniform on the way. A group of girls gossiped about the coming year.

"Did you hear about the exchange student from Germany?"

"I hear there's a first year who kicks ass at basketball! I wonder if he's cute..."

"Hey hey! Did you hear? Junes has a new manager!"

Hearing that one rumor sent a shiver down Shinji's spine. He knew the town was small, but didn't know news like that was big.

"Hey, your dad's famous." Kaworu joked. Shinji let out a quiet, nervous chuckle. Kaworu knew he hit the wrong spot and frowned. "Sorry."

"N-no! Don't worry about it." Shinji felt guilty for making Kaworu feel guilty.

Soon, the two of them reached the gates of the school. Shinji marveled at it. It was bigger than he thought it would be. Not as big as his old school, but bigger than he thought a school out in the country would be. Kaworu didn't seem too phased with that.

"Are you coming in or what?" Kaworu laughed at Shinji. Shinji jumped and followed his friend into the building.

Behind the two, a couple of third year students slowly walked toward the school. The tough and tomboyish Chie Satonaka and the beautiful and graceful Yukiko Amagi had arrived, though they could hardly say they were excited.

"Another year, huh? Man, last year went by so fast. It won't be the same." Chie sighed. Yukiko nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I'm glad I ran into you on the way to school, though. Have you seen anyone else?" Yukiko asked.

A familiar bike chime rang through the air.

"Yo." Yosuke greeted his classmates.

"Hey Yosuke." Yukiko said with a smile. "How's Junes?"

"Awful as usual." Yosuke grumbled. "We have a new manager, and man he's worse than my own dad! I can't believe my dad was idiotic enough to hire that kind of guy!"

"Oh, I heard about that. Isn't he the really intimidating guy who never takes off his sunglasses?" Chie asked curiously. Yosuke sighed.

"Unfortunately yes." Yosuke answered. Chie raised an eyebrow.

"That's just weird. He looks like a scary dude alright, but who am I to judge?" Chie turned around to face the school. Yosuke mumbled something under his breath that sounded like he was cursing his life.

"Hey-hey! Senpai!" a familiar and perky voice filled the air. The new third year students turned around to see the former idol Rise Kujikawa.

"Oh, hey, Rise." Yosuke nearly fell off his bike at her greeting.

"We should probably start heading inside. The first home room starts in a few minutes." Yukiko looked at a newly purchased watch on her wrist.

"Aw, you're breaking up the party once I get here?" Rise pouted.

"Not at all. We just don't want to be late." Chie explained. "I'm sure you want to make an amazing impression for your homeroom teacher too."

"Like hell I do." Rise hissed. "It might be Kashiwagi."

"Oh yeah, that's right! You're a second year now." Chie's eyes widened. "I feel really bad for you."

"Tell me about it." Rise mumbled.

"But I heard they hired a bunch of new teachers this year." Yukiko pointed out.

"Really?" Rise sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, or at least that's what's been going around." Yukiko restated. Rise clapped her hands together as if to pray.

"Oh please grant me a sane teacher this year!" Rise screamed to the heavens. Yukiko tried to stop a laugh. Chie sighed.

"C'mon, let's get going."

~*~*~

The time came for their first period class. Shinji was assigned a desk near the center of the room; two seats back from the front. He sat down, seeing that Kaworu had been assigned somewhere a bit further away from him. He was seated near the window, a row back from where he was. In front of him was a teal-haired girl with a pageboy cut. To Shinji's right, he saw a boy with glasses. He seemed psyched to be in the class, excitingly looking around from where he sat. No one else seemed to really stick out, but Shinji knew he probably wouldn't get very close to his own classmates anyway.

Through the door came a woman. Her mere appearance made several students cringe. Suddenly, gossip fireworks went off.

"Oh my gosh, is that--"

"Kashiwagi! I heard about her from my older sister! No, I thought she was a homeroom teacher for second years!"

"Dude, I heard she's such a slut..."

"Alright class, let's get this year started off right." Kashiwagi wrote her name up on the board. "If you don't already know me by my stunning beauty and charm, I'm Noriko Kashiwagi, your homeroom teacher."

"Wait, didn't she come to school in the middle of last year?" one excited student asked. Shinji was unintentionally listening.

"Yeah, she did. She was the replacement for King Moron."

"Who?"

"Morooka-sensei. He was...um...killed last year."

"Oh yeah, him! Dude, that murder streak was freaky! I heard they caught the guy..."

"If you want to talk about my fabulousness, you're welcome to come up here and speak your heart out!" Kashiwagi shut up the gossiping students. "Now, yes, I did indeed used to be a homeroom teacher for second year students. However, due to the fact that we have a first-come, first-serve policy for homeroom teacher assignments, and due to the fact that we have had many new teachers come this year, I was stuck here with you undeveloped first years. But lucky for you, you will receive the wisdom that I offer all people, and it can aid you for your awkward and surreal high school life to come."

Shinji had a feeling that he and the homeroom teacher weren't going to see each other very often. And he felt very thankful for that.

~*~*~

A floor up from Shinji's class, class 2-2 had received one of the new teachers. However, she hadn't arrived yet. Naoto Shirogane sat at her assigned desk with her nose in a book. Rise sat behind her, whining about how bored she was.

"Naoto-kun, why isn't our teacher here?" Rise asked. Naoto rolled her eyes.

"She's tardy, clearly. Some have trouble with waking up at the desired time on first days." Naoto turned the page. Rise leaned on her desk, staring out the window.

"At least I know we don't have Kashiwagi this year. I'm _so happy_!"

"Got that right. Dude, that woman is scary." Kanji Tatsumi sat nearby the two, hearing Rise talk about the horror of Noriko Kashiwagi.

"At least I didn't try to sleep with her..." Rise muttered.

"T-That...that was an accident!" Kanji yelled out, his face red. Rise burst out laughing and Naoto sighed, trying to dive deeper into the text in front of her.

"Why the hell did Senpai even tell you that? Geez, I wish I could forget that whole night..." Kanji bitterly muttered.

From the window, the sound of a car skidding against the pavement filled the ears of every student who had a window open. The entire class (and classes next door, up above and down below) peaked out to see what was causing the ruckus.

A car had pulled up into the parking lot, nearly crashing into several other faculty vehicles. As it finally managed to park, a blue-haired woman emerged. Suave and stylish, she smiled widely as she gathered her belongings from the passenger side of the car before walking toward the school building. Climbing up the stairs and walking into class 2-2, she set her books and paperwork down. Grabbing a nearby piece of chalk, she wrote the name 'Misato Katsuragi' on the board.

"Is...this our new teacher?" Kanji asked, unsure of how to react.

"Why are they all crazy?" Rise asked, staring out the window at the skid marks her car had made on the pavement.

"Who knows." Naoto closed her book to look up at their new teacher.

"I'm Misato Katsuragi, and this is my first year teaching at Yasogami High School. I'm glad to meet all of you!" Misato exclaimed, a wide grin on her face.

"Katsuragi-sensei?" a student raised his hand. Misato pointed at him.

"Yes, you! In the yellow shirt!"

"Er, yes, I'd like to ask why you are...um...late?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Misato seemed a bit too carefree on the matter. "I had to feed my penguin before I left, and we were completely out of fish."

"Penguin?" several students asked. '_Who has a __**penguin**__?'_

"Now, let's go around and introduce ourselves. I'm sure you all know each other, but I'd love to learn all your names." Misato requested. She looked around the room and then pointed at Kanji. "We'll start with you. Go ahead and say your name and something you like to do."

Kanji hesitated, but stood up. His intimidating presence made a couple of the students cringe, but Kanji gave them no mind. He was proud of who he was. "The name's Kanji Tatsumi. My family owns the textile shop in the district." Kanji immediately sat down without another word.

"Oh really? Oh, your mother is so kind! I met her just the other day..." Misato began to talk about her experience at the Textile Shop with a friend of hers that apparently worked at the hospital. No one in the class really seemed to care. She eventually came to ask about the other students, and got to Rise, then Naoto.

The class was unsure of what exactly to think of this teacher.

~*~*~

And even a floor above class 2-2 was class 3-1, where the new third year students faced an aged man who seemed to take the class very seriously. The name 'Kouzou Fuyutsuki' was written on the board in very formal handwriting. Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko were so used to having the laid back and somewhat high-standard Kashiwagi, and were thrown off by such a serious teacher.

"Though you're all young, you are still almost to the end of youth's path. At the end of this year, you won't be high school students any more. You'll be off to college and the world becomes a more difficult place. Getting into places like Tokyo U take hard work. Especially if you want to get into fields such as biology!"

He continued to talk, but Yosuke tuned him out. He swore he had seen this guy before. He tried to recall where he had seen the guy until it hit him. This guy was talking with his new manager at Junes before! Yosuke felt like screaming. His homeroom teacher was a friend of his manager.

'_Just shoot me now..._' Yosuke thought.

~*~*~

The lunch bell rang and students went off to chow down on their meals. Opening a bento box, Shinji began to gingerly eat bits and pieces of his prepared lunch. Kaworu sat beside him at his desk, opening his own box of treats.

"This has been an exciting first day, hasn't it?" Kaworu spoke before he shoved a bit of rice into his mouth and began to chew. Shinji nodded, though didn't seem focused. His mind was set on the dream he had the previous night.

"Shinji? You okay?" Kaworu asked.

"You!" came a voice from across the classroom. Shinji looked up, along with Kaworu. It came from a girl from the doorway, a packed lunch in her right hand and a balled fist in the left. Her hair was a fiery red, almost as deadly as the fire in her eyes as she glared straight at Shinji.

"...me?" Shinji asked in confusion. The girl approached him with vigor.

"Your dad is the new manager of Junes, isn't he? Ikari! You're Shinji Ikari!" her finger jabbed his nose. Shinji timidly nodded. He heard voices gasp and begin to chatter, his name heard in the chaos.

"W-what about it?" Shinji asked, trying to summon courage but horribly failing. The girl huffed and sat down.

"Your little department store is running the central shopping district out of business. That wouldn't bother me except for the fact that my beloved Kaji is working there. He needs business, but that Junes is the problem. Everyone wants to buy fruit from _that _store, not his!"

"Um, look..." Shinji tried to reason with her.

"Hey, don't take it out on Shinji. His _dad _is the one who runs it, not him. Shinji has almost nothing to do with the place." Kaworu stepped in for him. Shinji sighed with relief.

"Yeah, well, whatever." the girl continued to glare. "I need to eat something anyway. I might as well sit here." she didn't seem to admit defeat, but she didn't seem too eager to leave anyway. Her appearance differed greatly from the surrounding students, and it took Shinji a moment to realize that this girl may not have been Japanese.

"Well, aren't you going to ask who I am?" the girl asked right away, making Shinji jump.

"U-uh, sure. What's your name?" Shinji asked.

"Geez, you're too timid! Ask me with real intention! You're a man, aren't you?" she leaned toward him again, glaring straight into his eyes.

"What's your name?" Shinji asked again, backing off.

"Glad you asked! Asuka Langley Souryu!" she introduced with a grin. "And I know who _you _are, Shinji Ikari. Stupid Junes." Asuka muttered bitterly. "But what about you?" Asuka looked at Kaworu.

"I'm Kaworu Nagisa." Kaworu introduced, his typical smile on his face.

"Glad to meet you, Kaworu!" Asuka said loudly as she opened up her packed lunch. "Yum!" she exclaimed as she saw her food.

"Souryu-san, are you in a different class?" Shinji tried to be polite.

"Yep! I'm in class 1-3. But I'm the only interesting person there. Too bad. I hoped I would meet some interesting people, but I guess that'll have to wait." Asuka took a bite of a slice of watermelon. "Haven't you heard of me? I transferred from Germany!" she seemed annoyed that they hadn't asked her about it.

"O-oh, um, yes! I heard about that..." Shinji trailed off, remembering rumors from earlier that morning.

"Oh, so you're the transfer student." Kaworu said with a grin. "Are you enjoying Inaba?"

"Eh, it's alright. A tad boring for my tastes, but it'll get better with time, I'm sure." Asuka took another bite of her watermelon.

The three engaged in small talk, though Asuka was the one primarily talking (and with the way she talked, it was anything but small). Soon, the bell rang again and she had to return to class. For the rest of the day, the classes dragged on. Just introductory work and introductions from teachers. Shinji used the time to think about the dream.

With his head in his hands, he stared at a certain spot on the wall. The strange man with the long nose and the masked woman, what did they mean by the mysteries that laid ahead?

~*~*~

Though he was very unwilling to go, Shinji had been requested to head to Junes to help with a small chore that had to be done. Biding goodbye to Kaworu after the school day, Shinji headed to Junes. On the way there, he heard a bike bell ring. He turned around to see Yosuke Hanamura gliding along on the bike by and soon past him.

"You heading to Junes?" Yosuke didn't quite remember everything about Shinji, but certainly recognized him. Shinji nodded.

"My dad wanted me to help with something." Shinji explained. "Not sure what though."

"It's probably nothing important." Yosuke sighed. "Oh well. Hey, was the first day okay?" Yosuke asked. Shinji nodded.

"Fine. It was fine." Shinji responded.

"Who's your homeroom teacher?" Yosuke asked.

"Kashiwagi-sensei." Shinji answered. Yosuke visibly shivered.

"Dude, I'm sorry." Yosuke grimaced. "You're going to have an awful year with her."

"She didn't seem that bad. A bit egotistical, but not bad." Shinji admitted. Yosuke turned away from him and back to the front.

"You say that now." Yosuke began to ride ahead to Junes.

Confused, Shinji followed him.

But he knew in time he'd come to understand everything he didn't.

**To be continued.**


	4. III

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: **THIS IS IMPORTANT SO READ IT.** As you continue along with this chapter, Rei Ayanami makes her first appearance. However, the Rei Ayanami in this story is from the **Angelic Days **canon. This is why she is more cheerful/"human-like" (at lack of a better term) than her NGE canon counterpart. This means she isn't necessarily out of character, but rather from another NGE canon. Also, the rating of this story will eventually be lifted to "M", however be aware of Kanji's colorful language until then. Thanks! _

_**Disclaimer: **Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX._

_

* * *

_**THREE: Discoveries of Fortune**

**April 14****th****, 2012**

**Evening**

**Weather: Rainy**

The rain pounded against her window.

Usually, rainy nights had been exciting for the detective prince. Suspense used to run down the walls of her bedroom as the television screen suddenly turned on without a warning, displaying a strange but very real world beyond it. But those days were over. And Souji Seta wasn't there to lead them into that world any longer.

It was after the second day of school and Naoto Shirogane couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. She had heard something earlier from Teddie. She ran into him on the way home from school, seeing him with Yosuke. Teddie had told her that he had a 'bad feeling' in his stomach. Naoto had questioned him as to whether it was just a bug or something along those lines. But Teddie had responded with a rare serious expression.

"I went to the other world the other day." Teddie had told her. "It felt...weird."

"Weird?" Naoto repeated the very word he had used to describe it.

"Things felt ominous. Eerie. Those are the right words to use, right?" Teddie sounded a little scared, but there was a tone of his usual playfulness that told her that he decided to look up words in a dictionary. Something Teddie _would _do in his spare time.

"Is that it? It just _felt _out of place?" Naoto asked him.

"Y-yeah, is that strange?" Teddie asked her nervously. "I don't wanna be a bother, Nao-chan..." he whimpered, putting on the Teddie-face that made girls swoon. It had no effect on Naoto.

A clap of thunder returned her to reality from the memory she recalled. Naoto looked out the window, the wind rustling the trees and the lightning filling the air. Storms never scared her. She wasn't the kind of girl who leaped under a table in fright of a loud noise. Her eyes glided to her cell phone. She could easily call Teddie and ask him more. But looking to the clock, there was no way he'd be up this late. She sighed and sat on her bed, running her hand against the smooth blanket. She took off her blue hat, dusting it off before placing it on her bedside table, next to the electric clock and the photograph of her friends.

Resting her head on the pillow, she felt her own sensation of sickness coming on. This was bothering her. She couldn't just live in an unsolved mystery. She was a _detective_! Naoto sat back up, unable to relax. A louder bang of thunder filled the room. She looked to the clock. It read '11:30 PM'.

'_Why am I conflicted? We brought Adachi to justice..._' she remembered the battle. Adachi...he had a Persona. It looked just like Souji's. Adachi's true self gave her nightmares. His laughter sounded so unreal. But from Adachi came the true culprit; the god of fog. Ameno-Sagiri's voice was louder than thunder; his presence was mightier than anything she had seen. And yet, he accepted their power and gave mankind a second chance.

Shouldn't that have been it? Shouldn't have everything just been solved right there?

'_No...there's more, isn't there?_' Naoto felt paranoid. She rested her hand against her palm, her blue locks of hair pressed against her hand. She felt a headache coming on. '_Who would know the answers..._' she kept asking herself. '_Certainly not I..._' she didn't want to admit it, but she did not know where to go. She thought of the gray-haired leader and cursed her luck.

'_He's not here anymore to help us. If there's anything left, we must find it ourselves._' Naoto looked up, staring at the wall in front of her bed. She tried to think of the possibilities. Who could help them? Where could she look? Should she return to the TV world to investigate?

And suddenly, it came to her.

~*~*~

**April 15****th****, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Cloudy**

"Oh hell no! You are _not _going to go see Adachi!"

"I lead my own life, Kanji-kun. I may do as I so wish."

The next day had arrived, and Naoto sat in class with Kanji Tatsumi as the lunch break rolled around. Kanji had a petrified look on his face, one that appeared often when Naoto spoke of something nonsensical like what she had suggested on doing.

"Isn't this thing over already? Just chill out..." Kanji's voice was lower than before and worry laced every note of it. Naoto merely glared in response.

"I have a feeling that it isn't. As much as I wish for it to be over, there is something I can't shake." Naoto stared out the window, not staring out to anything in particular. Kanji gulped, trying to find words that could stop her from this.

"Why Adachi? Why the hell would he know anything? He was just the damn killer. He was possessed by that...weird eye-ball thing."

Naoto paused. Yes, why Adachi? Naoto knew that question was coming.

"He was connected, and he was willing to go through with the process more or less. Adachi could not have just discovered the world on his own. His power was discovered somehow, was it not? I must ask him these questions." Naoto had these questions in her head for a long time. She had a feeling that Adachi might know the answers. And if he didn't, he might lead her to someone who _could_ have them. Kanji glared at her, still very determined to stop her.

"You ain't going to see that bastard alone! I'm... I'm comin' with you!" Kanji just realized he blurted out what he was thinking, and not exactly what he wanted to say. His face immediately turned red. '_Geez man, she can protect herself, can't she?_' as much as he thought that to himself, Naoto was still a small girl. She needed someone (like him) to protect her, didn't she? Kanji averted his gaze from her quickly.

"Though I can quite handle myself, I don't see why you shouldn't join me. More visitors allow more minds, and thus more questions." Naoto tried to think of this in a positive light. Kanji wouldn't be much of a nuisance. Naoto just secretly hoped that they wouldn't unintentionally pull the 'good cop, bad cop' routine. That would just ruin their chances of Adachi taking them seriously (being a cop once himself).

The bell rang and Naoto packed up her lunch. Kanji couldn't believe that he managed to convince Naoto to take him along with her.

"I'm going to head to the prison right after school. I'll meet you out front twenty minutes after the last bell." Naoto explained as she put away her lunch and began to gather her textbooks and pencils.

Kanji, still shocked, just nodded.

~*~*~

Kanji may have been the taller and more intimidating of the two, but going straight into the prison was certainly not something he was fond of. He was insecure about coming here, especially coming to see the man that had tried to kill them all. But being with Naoto calmed him down a little. He hoped he wasn't shaking in front of all of these intimidating policemen and convicts.

'_Come on Kanji, be a man!_' Kanji had to remind himself, his fingernails digging into the skin of his palm. Naoto spoke with an attendant about seeing Adachi, stating her reason of business. Kanji didn't really listen in; knowing that being with Naoto meant that they could easily talk to anyone. Naoto had that sort of ability, knowing everything about police and their business. It was a unique charm of hers. Kanji rubbed the back of his head, a tinge of red appearing on his face. Thinking about her so intensely made his head feel light...

"Kanji-kun, it's time." Naoto had to snap him back to reality. She sounded utterly serious about this. Kanji nodded, trying to copy her serious expression.

The two entered the visiting room; Kanji trying not stay too close to Naoto while still seeming protector-like. He knew if he even got too close to her, he wouldn't be able to take it. Nonetheless, Naoto had found where Adachi was sitting across from the wall of glass. She sat down across from him, Kanji sitting next to her. Adachi's expression was unreadable for a moment, but he soon broke into a smirk and began to chuckle. Kanji noted to himself that the man looked _awful_. Was he purposely trying to kill himself after what had happened?

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Adachi's voice hadn't changed, though it took a much darker tone. It was similar to when they had caught him. His true self.

"Hello, Adachi-san." Naoto greeted.

"To think _you'd _come see me, of all people. I thought I sent the letter to Dojima's nephew, not _you._ You pathetic excuse for a detective..." Adachi hissed, his smirk vanishing.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd answer a few questions I have." Naoto ignored his insult and pressed onward.

"Wait, letter?" Kanji asked quietly. Adachi heard him and nodded.

"Yeah, I sent a letter to that Souji kid. He left the freakin' country already, didn't he?" Adachi asked, seemingly unaware. Naoto nodded.

"Yes, Souji has left. He did not speak of any letter. What was written in this letter you speak of?" Naoto became curious, the questions in her head put to the side. Adachi chuckled, the twisted smirk on his face sent shivers down Naoto's spine. She tried not to express that physically. Kanji saw Naoto's twitch and his breath was caught short.

'_Don't fuck with us._' Kanji thought angrily. He wanted to shout that, but if Naoto could keep her cool, he had to as well.

"Nothing you need to worry about, _detective_." Adachi said mockingly. "Just a few last things on my mind I wanted to share with the kid before he said sayonara." Adachi waved with his hand, as if to shoo the two teenagers away from his post. Naoto knew it would be difficult to break this guy. She gritted her teeth and tried again.

"Adachi-san, you, like the rest of us had a power. The power of Persona. But before that, you knew of the ability to enter the television. How?" Naoto asked, glaring straight into the eyes of the madman. She had heard that only few people had been able to enter the television without the power of Persona. After Souji had left, she heard from Chie that Souji was the first one that could stick his hand through the television. Adachi and Namatame could do the same thing before they had gotten power.

"How the hell should I know?" Adachi asked, shrugging. "It just...happened. I thought I was blessed!" Adachi marveled at his memory upon finding the power.

"Blessed to kill people, you bast--" Kanji stood up, cocking his fist to punch the glass. Naoto raised a hand to stop him, and he did. Kanji sat, irritated.

"Still, I mentioned to the kid that something bothered me." Adachi muttered, turning his gaze away from the two. Naoto's eyes narrowed.

'_Him too?_' Naoto recalled how Teddie had said something very similar. She pressed him further.

"What do you mean?" Naoto asked.

"All this stuff happening, it was so sudden. But then again, it was around that time I heard rumors of the Midnight Channel..." Adachi began to digress, but that was exactly where Naoto wanted to head.

"I wanted to ask you about that as well. What do you know of the Midnight Channel? Where did you hear of it?" Naoto asked. Adachi laughed.

"I heard some rumors at the station, but that wasn't the first I heard of it. I heard it first from someone...someone I had met when I had first moved to this crap hole out in the boonies." Adachi was never fond of Inaba. He had made that exceptionally clear to the group before.

"Do you remember this person?" Naoto asked. He had to know! This person would have answers!

"Ha! If I knew, I'd tell your son of a bitch friend Souji, not you. But no, I don't know." Adachi glared and kept his gaze away from the two of them. He had even written that to Souji. He didn't know, he couldn't remember the person who had told him of the Midnight Channel.

A hand on Naoto's shoulder stopped her from asking another question. She looked up to see a security guard. "Visiting hours are over." he spoke with a deep voice. Naoto bit her lip.

"If I could, I'd like more time..." Naoto tried to request, but was stopped.

"Sorry kid, no exceptions." the guard said before walking away. Kanji stood and looked at Naoto. Naoto looked at Adachi, who continued to smirk in the fashion that made her nervous.

"If you're thinking of coming again, think twice. I may not be here." Adachi said, still smirking.

"You're an insane bastard." Naoto muttered, standing up and turning away from him. Kanji twitched when he heard Naoto curse. It sounded so odd coming from her lips.

"Should we go?" Kanji asked Naoto, his voice low. Naoto nodded.

"We have to," she answered, placing her hands in her pockets and beginning to walk off. Kanji followed, the unsettling feeling in his stomach expanding.

~*~*~

**April 15****th****, 2012**

**Morning**

**Weather: Rainy**

The third day of school and he still wasn't used to it.

It was raining and his umbrella was left square in the front hallway. He was an idiot to forget it, and he had no idea where Kaworu was. But then again, Shinji knew he couldn't walk to school _every day_ with his friend. Still, the rain was pounding down on him and his uniform. He knew he'd have to bear through it and let it dry through class. He just hoped he wouldn't get his papers wet. But as he turned the corner, the water suddenly stopped pounding down on him. He looked up to see the canopy of a black umbrella over his head, held by another hand. With wide eyes, he jumped back out of shock. A similar yelp was heard, scared by his sudden reaction.

"If you want to stand out there and get wet, then I won't share my umbrella with you!" it came from a girl with teal hair styled in a pageboy fashion. Shinji recognized her from his own class. Dressed in the girl's uniform, her red eyes glared at him from a couple feet's distance. In her hand there was a slice of toast, moist at the top. It didn't seem to be slathered with butter. The scent of miso reeked from it.

"Sorry..." Shinji mumbled, gripping his bag. He stood out in the rain, hanging his head. Rain dripped from the tips of his hair, and the girl rolled her eyes, approaching him once again and held the umbrella over his head.

"You'll be miserable if you get your uniform wet. Hey, you're from my class, aren't you?" she asked. Shinji was surprised that she knew him. He thought he didn't stand out all that much.

"Yes, I'm in class 1-2..." Shinji mumbled the class name.

"That's right. So am I! Wow, we have something in common already!" she seemed cheerful. "I'm Rei Ayanami." she took another bite of her toast, introducing herself while chewing bread. Shinji wasn't sure how to react other than to introducing himself as well, though he thought her habits to be a little strange.

"I'm Shinji Ikari." he introduced. He would have held out his hand to shake, but her hands were full. He had to walk slowly so that he would stay dry under the umbrella. Walking a few more blocks, students raced past them with similar umbrellas. Some ran without, and Shinji sympathized with them greatly. He heard other students muttering around them.

"So which clubs are you joining this year? You can join one art club and one athletic club!"

"Dude, I hate it when it rains this much. The river overflows."

"But hey, I heard it's good to fish when it rains!"

"Hey, they're sharing an umbrella! Are they dating?" Rei seemed a bit upset at that one.

"Man, people don't know when to stop sticking their nose into stuff." she huffed, her cheeks turning slightly red. Shinji wasn't sure what to say. She was pretty, but she was a little strange. But then again, he didn't know much about this girl, other than the fact that she ate her toast with miso and was in his class. Finally, they arrived at the school. Kaworu was at the gate and saw them. He waved frantically.

"Hey! Shinji!" he grinned widely. Shinji smiled and Rei knew him as well.

"Oh, he sits behind me. What's his name again?" Rei asked herself, the hand not holding the umbrella finally free of toast. She placed a finger on her chin to think.

"Kaworu Nagisa." Shinji said his name and Rei's eyes widened.

"Yes, Nagisa-san!" she exclaimed. "I remember now!"

"Oh, you've made a new friend Shinji?" Kaworu asked, approaching the two with his own umbrella. "It's unfortunate. I'm not good at sharing." Kaworu grabbed Shinji and forced him into a one-armed hug. Rei gasped.

"O-oh, um..." Rei blushed. "I had no idea..."

"It's not like that!" Shinji yelled back, his own face lighting up with a similar red color.

The bell began to ring. Kaworu let Shinji go.

"Looks like class is starting. We should get going." Shinji was grateful he was let go and moved out of the protection of the umbrellas to head inside. Kaworu looked at Rei, and Rei looked at Kaworu as he left. Their eyes were the same color.

"We should probably follow him." Rei stated the obvious, wondering why he didn't follow Shinji right away.

"I know, I know. But I enjoy a simple rainfall like this every once in a while." Kaworu answered. Rei didn't care. She didn't want to be late.

~*~*~

"So you'll be taking me to this _amazing _department store, won't you?"

"Huh?"

At the lunch break; Shinji was once again face to face with the ornery Asuka Langley Souryu. Though Kaworu and his new friend Rei had joined him, the still dripping wet Shinji found he couldn't escape the wrath of the red-haired demoness who vowed revenge.

"To Junes! I want to see why it's taking away all the business of my beloved Kaji! If it's _so _amazing, then I want to see it for myself! Perhaps I'll even find something there worth my time, hm?" Asuka asked, smiling slightly.

"Another motive?" Rei asked, unsure of what Asuka's true goal was. Asuka glared.

"And who the heck are you? I've never seen you before!" Asuka asked, finally spotting the new girl among the group.

"I'm Rei Ayanami. Are you the German exchange student perchance?" Rei asked curiously. Asuka's expression brightened.

"Yes! Yes I am! I'm so glad you've heard of my greatness!" Asuka bragged loudly. Kaworu chuckled slightly at her outburst, though Rei cringed slightly at her volume.

"I-it's wonderful to meet you then, Souryu-san." Rei's voice shook, though she tried to force a smile.

"And wonderful to meet you as well, Ayanami-san. Now, where was I? Oh yes." she then faced Shinji again, a glare replacing her grin and Shinji gulped.

"Junes. This afternoon. We'll go straight after school. You two can come along if you want." Asuka gestured to the other two present.

"Sure, I've wanted to see where your dad works for a while." Kaworu remarked. Rei gasped.

"Your dad is the new Junes manager?" Rei asked. Shinji sighed. He figured everyone knew this by now, but apparently not. Shinji nodded slowly.

"So it's settled." Asuka said with a firm nod. She seemed like she was about to say something more when the bell rang. She cursed under her breath.

"Well, I suppose we'll meet later then. Until then, see you!" Asuka bid goodbye and waltzed right out the classroom door. Rei looked a bit horrified.

"What's her beef with you, Ikari-kun?" Rei asked. Shinji laid his head on the desk.

"I'm not really sure myself."

~*~*~

"This music is obnoxious. These clothes are too expensive. The food here sucks."

Asuka had dragged Shinji, Kaworu, and Rei through the entire department store, her judgmental statements ringing through their ear buds the whole way. Shinji really wanted to bring his music player, but like his umbrella, it had been forgotten at home. Shinji sighed as Asuka had finally decided to take a quick break as they reached the electronics department. Kaworu leaned against the wall, his red eyes peering at the other three.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked curiously.

"Somewhat. Though I can't see what the big deal about this place is. The shopping district is much better, though the supply of shops are dwindling slowly." Asuka sounded a bit sad at that.

"You keep mentioning this Kaji person." Rei brought him up. Asuka's attention shifted directly to Rei.

"Yes, what about Kaji? Would you like to meet him? He sells watermelon at the district about twice a week when it's sunny. He won't be there today. I'll introduce you to him, and then you'll understand why this store must fall!" Asuka announced.

"Why fall?" Shinji asked quietly. He looked up to see several attendants in Junes aprons, asking customers questions, helping adults pick televisions out from the department, it was all too big for him to handle. He had no idea how his dad managed such a place. He wondered if Yosuke or Teddie was here today. He knew he would have seen Teddie in the mascot outfit, though. He wondered if Asuka would have tried to murder the mascot if she saw him. He felt slightly depressed at the thought, imagining a brutal Asuka with a knife trying to kill Teddie at the food court.

"And look at these T.V.s!" Asuka shouted. "What cheap material! I mean, this is Japan! Their technology is supposed to be superior to the rest of the world!" Asuka huffed as she flicked the TV with her finger.

"You probably shouldn't do that..." Shinji muttered, approaching her. Asuka scoffed.

"I can do whatever I want, Ikari." she said, walking parallel to Shinji. Shinji now stood in front of the television, facing Asuka. Asuka chuckled. "You haven't defended the honor of your father's store all this time! You're no man!" Asuka pressed her hand against Shinji's shoulder, hard. Shinji lost his balance and grabbed Asuka's wrist, falling back. Though the TV should have stopped their fall, suddenly Shinji fell back through the screen. Asuka's eyes widened as she saw Shinji fall through through the screen.

"W-what the hell?" Asuka screamed. Seeing this, Kaworu rushed to Asuka to try and pull her and Shinji up. Rei rushed to help, grabbing another part of Asuka. But Shinji's weight and grip on Asuka was too strong, and he was already halfway in.

'_What's going on?!_' Shinji thought, his eyes wide. A strange pressure kept trying to pull him in, almost like there was a hand tugging at the collar of his uniform. He couldn't save himself, and now the others were caught as well.

With another yell, he fell through, dragging the three others with him into the unknown.

**To be continued.**


	5. IV

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: Why do I have nothing of interest to say? Oh well. Less boring stuff for you, the reader, I suppose. Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying this story. __  
_

**_Disclaimer: _**_Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX.  
_

_

* * *

_**FOUR: The Fool Awakens**

**April 15****th****, 2012**

**????**

**Weather: ????**

In moments, he collided with a hard surface. And if that wasn't painful enough, several bodies collided into him.

"GAH!" Shinji yelled as three bodies toppled on top of him. He swore he felt something in his body crack. He heard jumbled yells and exclamations from those who had fell on him (especially from Asuka), but none of them sounded too hurt.

"Shinji, are you alright?" Kaworu asked his friend, pushing off the two girls to the side and helping him up. Asuka let out a yell as she was pushed off of Shinji and onto the ground.

"Oy! Tell me when you do stuff like that, stupid!" Asuka yelled at Kaworu. She squinted her eyes. "Why is it so hard to see you?" she asked, rather annoyed.

The group looked around, realizing they were no longer in the electronics department of Junes. It was a completely yellow area, covered in a dense fog. Shinji could barely see ten feet ahead of him. The place smelled awful too. Almost smelled like something was rotting.

"H-hey, where are we guys?" Rei asked the others, rubbing her right arm with her left nervously. "We were in Junes a second ago, what happened?"

"Souryu-san pushed Shinji, and I think he grabbed onto her..." Kaworu tried to remember.

"And then I remember trying to grab onto them..." Rei tried to recall.

"And then we fell. A long ways down." Shinji remembered. "I tried to keep ahold of Souryu-san. I thought you guys could pull me back up..." Shinji looked away from the developing glare on Asuka's face.

"Oh, so it's _my _fault?" Asuka asked angrily. "Well excuuuuse me for being _latched _onto! You're the one who freaking pulled me in!" Asuka argued back.

"Guys, guys. We need to settle down." Rei tried to calm them down. "We need to figure out where we are, not how we got here." Rei explained. She purposely didn't look at Asuka, just as Shinji did.

"Ayanami-san is right. We need to find a way out of here too." Kaworu agreed with Rei, a rare serious look appearing on his face. "This place has an ominous feeling to it..."

"H-hey, don't creep us out!" Rei looked at Kaworu, her eyes wide.

"But don't worry." Kaworu's smile reappeared. "I have a feeling we'll be out of here soon."

'_Whoa. Confident, but perhaps a little naive..._' Rei wasn't sure what to think of the similarly red-eyed boy. She looked back at Shinji.

"Ikari-kun, are you alright? We all kind of landed on you..." Rei remembered how the entire group had fallen right on top of him. He didn't look like a strong boy. He could have easily been crushed. Shinji nodded.

"I'm fine. As long as everyone else fine too." Shinji said in response.

"Shinji is always so noble." Kaworu said, impressed.

"Bleck. I might vomit." Asuka rolled her eyes. "Let's just find the exit and get back to our lives."

"How on Earth are we going to get around this place? I can't even see what's right in front of me." Rei remarked, the thick fog in her eyes.

"We should split up." Kaworu suggested.

"Why?" Asuka and Rei asked together, though Asuka sounded a bit more annoyed than Rei. Rei sounded curious.

"We'll cover more ground that way. And it'll just be a mess if we all try to look around the same place together." Kaworu explained.

"That makes no sense." Asuka placed her hands on her hips. "It's stupid to separate in a place like this. We don't even know how big it is. What if we lose each other?" Asuka asked.

"I doubt it's very big." Kaworu replied. "And besides, we'll be in separate groups, but not too far from each other. We can easily call for help if anything happens."

"Hmph. Fine. Have it your way." Asuka huffed.

"How are we splitting up?" Shinji asked Kaworu as if he were a leader. Kaworu shrugged.

"Well, we should go two and two." Asuka took charge. "Because they both have red eyes, Nagisa and Ayanami will go together." Asuka made her group and was satisfied with the result. Rei and Kaworu looked at each other and both shrugged.

"Fine. But don't hurt my Shinji while you're looking around, alright?" Kaworu requested. Shinji rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"We'll look over this way." Rei pointed to the north. "You guys go the opposite way."

"Sounds good." Asuka agreed for once and turned to Shinji. The two others walked off, leaving Shinji and Asuka to themselves. They stood in silence for a good few moments.

"Is it me or am I feeling a little dizzy?" Asuka asked herself quietly.

"Souryu-san?" Shinji asked. Hearing her question brought his attention to his own health. He didn't feel too well either. Was it this place? He was starting to get a headache. The fog was as yellow as the area around them. That was all he could see. Yellow.

"Never mind. Let's go." Asuka began to march in the opposite direction of where Kaworu and Rei walked off. With Asuka in the lead, it was easier to see where she was going. Her bright red hair was easy to spot in all the yellow that surrounded them. Shinji had a bit of trouble keeping up with her though. It was difficult to tell where she wanted to turn. But the further they went, Shinji noticed that the level of fog differed. In some places, he could see more than he did before. He noticed that there was a sky above them. A sky colored with red and black that seemed to move. It made him shake.

"Geez, this place is really creepy." Asuka muttered to herself. "What kind of place is this?" she asked, looking around. Shinji didn't reply to anything she said, but what she said matched what he was thinking. He wondered what this place was and how they got here. Did he _fall_ through the television? That never happened before in his life, or ever, for that matter. But then again, when was the last time he touched a TV?

"Hey! Look over here!" Asuka called out to him. Shinji snapped out of his thought train and looked over to where Asuka was. They were standing on what appeared to be a pathway on an apartment building. Before them was a door that was the same color as the sky, moving in the same pattern. Red and black. Shinji shivered.

"Are we going in?" Shinji asked. Asuka nodded.

"Duh. Maybe it's the exit." Asuka explained. Shinji wasn't so sure. If it were the exit, it wouldn't look so ornery.

"Shouldn't we tell Kaworu and Ayanami-san if it is?" Shinji asked.

"Pfft. We'll figure it out first and then we'll go tell them. Nagisa said they aren't too far." Asuka walked toward the door, her body fading through the colors that danced at the entrance. Shinji gasped, seeing that she had basically vanished. He hesitated. What if she didn't come out? Should he go in? His eyes were hurting. His head was hurting. He felt a bit sick to his stomach, but he had to keep going.

"Don't run away..." Shinji whispered to himself.

"OY!" Asuka's voice was heard from nowhere. Shinji jumped. "Get in here!"

Shinji walked toward the door and vanished just as she did.

As he walked through, he saw that he had arrived in a small apartment. Posters lined the walls, though they stood out due to the fact that the head of each person within them was cut clean out. A bed sat by the wall, and not one, but two doorways were open. One appeared to be the door they had walked through, but another looked to be a hole that was ripped through the wall. It looked out of place. But then again, everything in the room did.

"S-shinji..." Asuka stood in the center of the room, pointing to the corner. Shinji looked and nearly screamed. A chair stood in the corner, directly below a rope that hung from the ceiling. Dangling from the rope was a red scarf, fashioned in the shape of a noose.

"Um...that's..." Asuka wasn't sure what to say. Shinji shuddered.

"Maybe we should leave..." Shinji quietly stated. He didn't want to stay here much longer, wherever this was.

"But what's through this other way?" Asuka asked, trying to ignore the noose and rushing over to the mysterious hole in the wall.

'_Don't go in there!_' Shinji knew it was a bad idea. He raced over toward Asuka, grabbing her hand quickly. Asuka glared at him and he blushed, quickly taking it away.

"What the hell is your problem, kid? Your hand is sweaty! Gross!" Asuka had felt his body shaking through his sweaty hand. Shinji bit his lip.

"We need to get out of here." Shinji couldn't stand it much longer. He felt his head splitting open from his headache. They had to find the exit.

"Exactly! What if _this _is the exit?" Asuka asked, pointing her index finger in his face. "You can't just walk away now! I'll just stick my head through if it makes you feel be--"

Asuka's attempt to convince Shinji was suddenly silenced. A screech filled the air. Her eyes bolted wide open and Shinji whipped around.

"What was that?" Asuka asked, backing away from the entrance that she had tried to enter.

Through the door that the two of them had entered from, a mass of black goop began to trail through. Asuka appeared disgusted.

"What the hell is that?" Asuka asked, moving toward Shinji. Shinji wasn't sure, and he didn't want to stick around long enough to find out. He wanted to race away quickly, but if he ran, he'd leave Asuka behind.

The mass of black goop suddenly hardened, lifting off the ground. It formed itself into a spherical shape, black and white stripes suddenly curling around it. From the front, a pair of lips emerged from the matter and a drooling tongue was suddenly sticking out right at them. A hungry beast.

"H-holy shit!" Asuka gripped Shinji's shoulder.

"What is that?" Shinji asked, his voice shaking. Asuka shook her head vigorously.

"No idea! But kill it quick!" Asuka yelled back to him as it approached. The beast raced toward the two, its jaws wide open as if to swallow them whole. Shinji and Asuka leaped apart as it nearly got them, flying to opposite sides of the room. Asuka landed nearby the chair. She glanced at it as she heard a snarl emit from the strange beast's mouth. Rushing to it, she grabbed the chair and picked it up from the back.

"C'mon and get me you stupid thing!" Asuka taunted, holding the chair like a weapon.

"Souryu-san!" Shinji yelled. What was she doing!?

The beast heard her taunt and dashed at her, chomping its teeth together like wildfire. Asuka was too slow. As she tried to swing the chair at it, it managed to swing right in front of the beast right as his jaw opened. The beast chomped through the chair, destroying it. In the process, it bit down on Asuka's arm. Asuka screamed and backed off, her arm nearly chopped off.

"Dammit! Stupid thing!" she had to run, but she was in a corner. The beast licked its lips. Drool rolled out of its mouth and onto the floor, dripping onto Asuka's shoes. She shivered. She didn't want to die.

"DO SOMETHING!" Asuka yelled at Shinji, glaring at him. "You're a man, aren't you!?" it was more desperate than mocking.

It was up to him now. But could he do _anything_? There was nothing to use. He had no weapon, and he was sure that Asuka was physically stronger than him, and she was locked dead in a corner. Shinji wanted to run. He truly did. He could get Kaworu and Rei; they'd know what to do. But they were too far away. What if he yelled for help? Could they hear him if he was in this place? This _indoor _place? Shinji shivered, his eyes wide. Fear was written all over his features. What could he do? _What could he do?_

"DAMMIT, SHINJI! HELP ME!"

"Don't run away..." Shinji muttered to himself, closing his eyes and digging his fingers into his palm. '_Don't run away. Don't run away. Don't run away._' His headache was suddenly much worse than before. As his eyes were closed, he saw the blue of the room he visited in his dreams...the Velvet Room. His worries began to dissolve and his fear vanished. A new confidence welled up within him and the flashes of the Velvet Room began to fade.

'**_Thou art I..._**'

An unfamiliar voice rang through his head. He gripped his forehead and time slowed. Snarls from the beast suddenly became louder, as the being had turned toward Shinji. It reacted to him. Asuka gasped, confused. What on Earth was he doing?

'**_And I art thou...the time has come! Open thine eyes, and call what is within!_**'

Shinji's eyes snapped open. He lowered his hand from his forehead, feeling a strange material that wasn't there before. A card laid in his hand, the image of a black and white mask upon a blue background upon it. What was it? Shinji didn't waste much time to find out. He flipped it over, revealing a black and blank surface. But in an instant, it began to glow. The glow was bright enough to make Asuka flinch. Shinji stared at it, his usually dull eyes now full of life. A single word was in his mind. All he had to do was say it aloud...

"PERSONA!"

He gripped the card and it shattered like it was glass, a newer and brighter light enveloping his body. The beast screeched, though it had no eyes to see. The light harmed it. Like fire, the light blazed around Shinji. And behind him, Asuka could see a strange figure appearing.

"W-what is that?" Asuka asked, her voice shaking. She was on her back now, unable to get herself to stand up.

What appeared behind Shinji was something clearly inhuman. And yet, it seemed entirely apart of Shinji. A bony and thin humanoid figure was clear in the light, its entire body coated in the color purple. Upon the crown of its head were laurels, and its knees were bent close to its chest. The bottoms of its feet were orange, while green leaked over its forearms and thighs.

The beast closed in on Shinji and the newly formed figure, trying everything it could to destroy them both. Mashing its jaws, it was nearly ready to rip Shinji's skin off. Shinji glared up at the monster, following what the mind's voice told him. What his own self told him.

"Garu!"

The created humanoid figure's eyes suddenly opened, glowing with newfound power. It raised its thin arms, and green wind began to gather and swirl around the both of them. In an instant, the wind was directed at the beast and struck, knocking it back into the wall. It splattered back into the goop it had arrived as, dripping down the wall. Several parts of it began to bubble, though it slowed with a few more moments. It was done.

Shinji's breath was heavy and his headache had subsided. He looked behind him to see the floating figure looking down upon him. In an instant, it vanished and turned back into the card that Shinji had broken. It floated down into his open hand.

"**I am Job the faithful.**" a voice echoed through Shinji's head. Shinji looked down at the card, seeing the blank image forming into one of the being that had just appeared. He stared at it, inhaling and exhaling slowly. He gripped the card and it vanished.

"**Call on me and I shall appear.**" he heard the voice once again.

"IDIOT!" Shinji was snapped back to reality by the almighty slap of Asuka. A handprint appeared on the side of his face and he slowly placed a hand on it.

"What the hell did you just do? What was that? Did that thing come out of _you_?" Asuka asked, glaring at Shinji more so than ever before. Shinji stuttered.

"I...I don't know what that was! It just...was there. And I wanted to get rid of that monster, but I told myself I couldn't run away and then..." it was his desire to defeat that thing that brought it, wasn't it? Or was it something else?

"God damn it, you...you..." Asuka turned away from him, too upset to even talk to him. '_You scared me._' she couldn't say that aloud. Shinji looked at her with his typical confused expression. Was she trying to thank him? Shinji doubted it. This girl had been pissed at him from day one.

"We should head back." Asuka muttered, turning back to face him but not looking him directly in the eye. Shinji nodded. He walked back to the door that they had come from, but waited for a moment for Asuka to walk with him. He was still nervous to venture through the fog alone, though not as afraid as before. He felt not so much more confident, but more powerful. That thing they had previously faced, he had a feeling there were more of them out there. He had to make sure Asuka and the others wouldn't get hurt. Now was the time to find Kaworu and Rei.

~*~*~

**April 15****th****, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Cloudy**

Teddie was in a panic. Trying to put on a good face for the kids who came to visit him today was difficult, but upon reaching his break, he didn't even bother to throw off the costume to race to where Yosuke worked that day.

"Yosuke! Yosuke!" Teddie yelled across the grocery department, where he saw Yosuke conversing with a blond woman in a hospital uniform. Yosuke rolled his eyes, annoyed to be pulled away from the conversation. He glared at Teddie.

"What is it, Teddie? Did something on your costume rip again? I can call Kanji and he'll fix it up--"

"Yosuke! Shinji-kun...and some other people...I saw them...!" Teddie was talking before thinking, and thus his worries came out jumbled.

"Yeah, well Ikari's dad works here. Big deal. Anyway miss, there's a great deal on soy products today--" Yosuke tried to brush him off, but Teddie wouldn't give up.

"They fell in the TV!" Teddie practically yelled. Yosuke's eyes bolted open and he turned to Teddie.

"What? How is that...ugh. One second." he turned back to face the woman, who had distracted herself with looking at the produce. "Ma'am, if you need anymore help, any of the other attendants will be happy to see to your needs." Yosuke quickly reached into his apron pocket to pull out his cell phone. Dialing '4' on speed dial accessed Chie Satonaka.

"This better be damn good, Hanamura." Yosuke could hear the sounds of a new Martial Arts movie in the background.

"Get over to Junes pronto. Bring Rise and somebody else who can go into the TV. I don't care who!" Yosuke yelled into the phone and hung up. He looked at Teddie and nodded. "Let's go."

As they ran, Teddie explained the situation.

"I saw them an instant before it happened! I was over at the massage chair place and I was getting a soothing back rub, but then I saw Shinji-kun and thought I'd say hi! But then, I saw those other kids with them and suddenly they slipped right through the screen! I didn't know what do to!" Teddie panicked.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. But wait a second, how could they get through the TV in the first place? I thought only people with Personas could go through!" Yosuke tried to speak loudly, but at the same time he had to keep a low profile. He wasn't on his break, and obviously if he was caught rushing out of his daily post he'd be fired. And Yosuke knew he couldn't get a job anywhere else. The shopping district loathed him and his father's business.

They reached the electronics department. Not many people were browsing the wares today.

"Dammit, how did this happen?" Yosuke muttered to himself. Teddie approached the TV that the younger teenagers had fallen through.

"It's this one." Teddie pointed. "This is the one we used to use..." he knew that TV from anywhere.

"Coincidence." Yosuke said, rubbing his temples.

"Yosuke, you don't think that maybe one of them can..." Teddie was about to ask the obvious question, but the Junes entrance nearby slammed open. Three familiar girls raced in.

"What's going on?" Naoto questioned. "I ran into Chie-senpai and Rise-chan on the way here and they said you told them to come."

"I was in the middle of an epic movie! This better be damn good!" Chie yelled at Yosuke.

"We have a problem." Yosuke proceeded to explain the situation.

~*~*~

The fog was still dense and Shinji's headache was slowly returning. Asuka hadn't said a word since their departure from the strange apartment room, walking at Shinji's side and not in front of him. She appeared upset, defeated. Though it was tough to see through, Shinji had a feeling that they had finally returned to the place where they had started.

"Maybe we should find Kaworu and Ayanami-san." Shinji looked in the direction the other group had traveled.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Asuka mumbled. She still sounded annoyed. Shinji sighed, scratching the back of his head. He thought about what had happened. He remembered screaming 'Persona'. Persona? What was that? What did it mean? He remembered a swell of power running through him, as if he and the figure that emerged were connected. As if they were the same. It had called itself Job. Job the faithful. Was it_ his_ power? Or merely _a_ power within him?

"Souryu-san! Ikari-kun!" a familiar voice sounded through the air. The two stopped and looked around to find the source of the voice.

"Ayanami-san?" Shinji called back. Rei ran through the fog, nearly running into Asuka.

"Watch it!" Asuka yelled.

"S-sorry." Rei panted. "Nagisa-san is in trouble!"

"What?" Asuka asked. Shinji's eyes widened. "What did you do to lose him?"

"We were walking this way and we came across this place, it looked exactly like the shopping district!" Rei exclaimed, clearly frightened. "And then we heard these weird sounds, and Nagisa-san ran ahead of me, telling me to find you guys!" Rei looked behind her. "I kept hearing those sounds as I ran here, but they're gone now…"

"What kind of sounds?" Shinji asked. "Is Kaworu alright?" he panicked.

"We have to hurry!" Rei yelled at Shinji and Asuka. "C'mon!" she raced through the fog, the two behind her hesitating before running after her.

**To be continued.**


	6. V

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: The action picks up and starts to roll! Character Arcanas will be revealed as characters receive Personas. Shinji's is the Fool. For explanations on why characters received a certain Arcana can easily be answered. The last chapters and the prologue were not touched/read by my Beta, but the chapters following this one have been. __Thank you for your support (to both my Beta and the people who are taking the time to read this) as we trek along this long and winding road. _

_**Disclaimer**: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 belongs to ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to GAINAX. Gotta love good fandoms. _

_

* * *

_**FIVE: The Crumbling Tower**

**April 15****th****, 2012**

**????**

**Weather: ????**

He felt sick running through endless yellow fog.

Panic accompanied nausea as Shinji raced through the fog, trying to keep up with his teal-haired friend ahead of him.

'_Kaworu is in danger? How did she loose the guy?_' Asuka thought angrily. She too was feeling sick. She could barely see through the fog. Her eyes kept darting from Rei to Shinji's nearby hand. He could see Rei fine, or it seemed that way. If she grabbed on, she could get an easy ride to the rescue.

'_What the hell are you thinking? You'll give the stupid kid ideas._' Asuka thought, biting her lip. Her legs were starting to ache and the scent of the area was worsening. She could have easily keeled over and thrown up on the ground.

Shinji didn't feel much better. But suddenly, Rei stopped.

"It's around here somewhere..." her crimson orbs glanced around. They were narrow, as if to squint in looking for something hard to spot. The fog was thicker to Rei and Asuka, but Shinji soon realized that there was less fog in his vision now. He felt a strange new sensation accompanying the nausea in his stomach. He wondered to himself what made him see just a little better and what made him feel a little stronger. Physically, he felt his stamina boost tremendously. He looked at Asuka. She was sweating and her face was deathly pale. Almost as pale as Kaworu's normal skin tone. But despite that, she tried to appear tough and unable to be knocked down.

"Where on Earth are you taking us, freak?" Asuka hissed at Rei, glaring straight at Rei's gaze. Rei jumped slightly at Asuka's attitude.

"He's nearby. I don't want Nagisa-san to be in danger. You don't want him to be hurt, do you? We have to help him any way we can!" Rei tried to encourage Asuka, though she seemed unaffected.

"Whatever. Lead the way." Asuka sounded irritated, though her voice was considerably weaker than before. Rei nodded and led the way as she was instructed, rushing further into the fog.

Shinji got an outline of his surroundings, though that was all he could see. The fog was still there, though he could see silhouettes and figures. The area resembled a city street, where the sky above the fog glowed with the same red and black that had been on the doors he and Asuka had gone in before. The ground below him was clearly pavement. He could see yellow dividing lines along the center, where it appeared to be a road cars could drive along. There were buildings lined up along the sides of the road, though he couldn't see many details on their roofs or doors. He could see blurry words through the fog, some which read 'General Store' and 'Closed'. It was eerie, to say the least.

"Nagisa-san!" Rei called out Kaworu's name. "C'mon, Ikari-kun!" she beckoned Shinji. He realized he had fallen a bit behind and rushed to the side of the teal-haired girl.

"Oy! Pale-face! C'mon out!" Asuka yelled, cupping her hand near her mouth to increase the volume of her voice.

"Wait, Ayanami-san...didn't you say you knew where he was?" Shinji suddenly asked, a new feeling of worry digging into his gut. If she knew where he was, why was she yelling out to him?

"He disappeared into the fog here. He yelled out for me to get help." Rei explained, her expression turning nervous. Asuka cocked her fist.

"Way to go! Tell us the truth next time, why don'cha?" Asuka angrily asked. Rei sighed irritably, crossing her arms.

"Guys...shouldn't we..." Shinji tried to stop their arguing, but it made no difference.

"Don't you _dare _speak up now!" Asuka yelled at Shinji. "I'm sick and freakin' tired of this place! I'm gonna pass out or die soon and it's YOUR FAULT!" Asuka whined loudly.

A snarl filled the air. The sickening sound that the two adolescents had heard before had returned, and Asuka reacted with a jump.

"H-hey, what was that?" Rei, who hadn't encountered the beast before suddenly held herself. Shinji gulped.

"It's back." he answered, turning to Asuka.

"Don't tell me it ate---" Asuka didn't want to think of the unimaginable, but they were in a bizarre new world, and anything could be possible. Kaworu may not have survived...

But it was then in a panic that Shinji saw a door on one of the nearby buildings, its red and black spirals looking very much like the doors that led into the apartment.

"Is this the right thing to do?" Shinji asked himself, his voice quiet and shaking. '_What if the monster is in here? What if it killed Kaworu? W-why are we still here?_' He couldn't escape the fact that he was frightened.

"O-oy...Ikari..." Asuka backed up into Shinji, nearly knocking him over. Shinji looked behind him to see the same monster they had faced in the apartment, only there were three of them.

"What are those?" Rei asked, pointing at them, now standing behind Asuka with a petrified look.

"I dunno, but we saw them before. And they nearly killed us!" Asuka yelled, gripping Shinji's shoulder tightly (she had moved considerably closer to Shinji during that time).

The creatures snarled as they did before, their jaws wide open. Black tongues swished around their crimson lips, ready to feast upon the buffet set before them.

"H-hey, stupid thing!" Asuka suddenly bolted away from Shinji, pounding her fists together. "I can take you! C'mon! We beat your stupid brother, so c'mon and get me!" Asuka had felt a rush of courage. She could take them! She wouldn't let the weakling Shinji beat something that had beaten her before, more or less be the one defending them! He was a poor excuse for a man in her eyes.

"Souryu-san!" Rei panicked. She looked at Shinji. "You have to stop her! You said you got rid of those things before, didn't you? Didn't you?"

Asuka rushed at the creatures, her fist ready to slam into their monochrome orb bodies. She thought she had a clean shot, and her fist hit the surface of one of the creature's skin. But as her fist landed, it bounced off of the creature's skin, almost like trying to punch through a mound of jello. Asuka screamed.

"W-what the hell? Stupid...things..." she began to panic, her fist unable to pierce the body of what she had tried to kill. A sound that almost resembled a chuckle emitted from the body of the creature, its black tongue long enough to wrap around Asuka's nearby leg. She cringed in response. The two others nearby began to approach Rei and Shinji. One meal for each of them.

"Is this how I'm going to die?" Asuka asked herself quietly, the ungodly feeling of foreign drool running down her right leg making her voice shiver.

'_No...it can't be now..._' Shinji thought, holding his head. He wanted to wake up. This had to be a dream, didn't it? He had many bad nightmares before, but this was the worst one. But it was then he felt that new feeling within him, the one had had experienced before.

'_**Call on me...**_' he heard a voice. '_**Call upon **_**your **_**strength! The strength of your true self!**__' _Shinji looked in his hand that was pressed against his forehead, the same blue card appearing in his palm. Rei's eyes widened.

"What is that?" she asked. "D-did you have that before?"

"Before..." Shinji echoed her words, everything slowing down around him. '_My "true" self?_' he repeated the voice that sounded in his head before, clutching the card. '_Is what appeared...is that what will save everyone?_' Shinji couldn't run away now. He didn't want to be here, but he was. He didn't want Asuka to be in danger, but she was. He didn't want Kaworu to be gone and unable to help him, but he was.

And now, he stood alone against these strange beasts. And they would fall.

"Persona!" Shinji yelled, smashing the card in an instant. The figure of Job appeared behind him, floating in the same way it had before.

"Holy crap!" Rei screamed, backing away from Shinji. "What is that?"

"Garu!" Shinji screamed out a command, green wisps of wind curling around the body of Job and rushing toward the beast that had trapped Asuka. In an instant, the wind smashed into the beast and sent it back, its tongue cut clean out of its mouth. It squirmed on Asuka's leg for a millisecond before falling straight off. Asuka screamed and ran toward Shinji and Rei, though closer to Rei. The beast that had been struck now had pitch-black liquid flowing from its jaws, its teeth stained. It snarled and rushed at Shinji; ready to chomp his head off.

"Bash!" Shinji yelled. Job reacted by raising its arms and clapping them together, balling its hands into a fist. It floated in front of Shinji, thrusting its fists down onto the top of the beast before it reached Shinji. With the strike, the beast screeched in pain and vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"Wow..." Rei was in awe. Asuka stood still, seemingly unimpressed. Her expression was pensive. She was observing, and was confused and unable to accept that again, she was the weak one who couldn't save everyone. Shinji was the hero. Not her.

Two enemies remained. Shinji inhaled.

"Garu!" he summoned more wind, sharp gales piercing through one enemy. It vanished in the same kind of smoke that its comrade had disappeared with. One enemy remained. Shinji's breath was quick and sharp. His muscles were tense and the last enemy made its final move. With another use of Garu, the beast was slain. Job vanished, as the creature was defeated, the blue card floating back into Shinji's palm and vanishing. Shinji fell to his knees.

"Ikari-kun!" Rei exclaimed, rushing to his side. Asuka didn't follow. She merely stared into the spot where the last enemy had made its last stand.

"Are you alright? What did you just do?" Rei's expression was mixed with relief and fear. She offered a hand to Shinji, to which he accepted. She helped him up and he exhaled deeply.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Ayanami-san." Shinji thanked with a smile. He looked around and saw Asuka. He approached her slowly, timid as he always was.

"Are you alright, Souryu-san?" he asked quietly. Asuka glared at him.

"Like you'd care." she huffed, marching past him and to Rei.

"I want to get the hell out of here." Asuka said sharply. "I don't want to die here and have _him _save my ass all the time!"

"Calm down!" Rei yelled back at Asuka. "Be thankful he saved your life, not mad! And besides, we still have to save Nagisa-san!" Rei brought back up the situation. Shinji nodded.

"I think...we have to go through there." Shinji pointed to the door he had noticed before. He felt very faint after what he had done. He felt his head was going to split apart any second. He wasn't fit to stay in this world for much longer.

"Why?" Asuka asked. "What gives you the right to--"

Rei slapped Asuka straight in the face, sending her backwards and onto her butt.

"Stop being stubborn. He's the leader now." Rei placed her hands on her hips, taking charge for the moment. Asuka resumed her death glare. "And Nagisa-san is in danger. Stop thinking about yourself."

"Shut up!" Asuka barked back. "You're too concerned about Nagisa-san. The freak's _done for_! We need to find a way out of here!"

"He's not dead." Shinji spoke, looking straight at Asuka. "Kaworu's still alive. I know he is." Shinji knew his best friend, and Kaworu was calm and tough enough to survive such a place. He wouldn't panic like the three of them did. In fact, he was probably just waiting somewhere for them to find him. And if Shinji was lucky, he would be through the door he wanted to go through.

"Hmph. Well fine. If you're so sure, then we'll go through your stupid door." Asuka rolled her eyes, finally giving into his suggestion. Rei nodded, still glaring at the fiery redhead.

"But if we get attacked by those things again, don't come crying to me!" Asuka exclaimed, walking to Shinji's side and staring at the red and black ripples that made up the gateway into the unknown building. Shinji weakly smiled, placing his own hand on his forehead to try and soothe the increasing headache. Rubbing his temples, he looked ahead. As they walked closer to the building, he could smell the faint scent of alcohol. A neon sign reading 'KONISHI LIQUOR' was now noticeable above the door.

~*~*~

The three walked into the gateway, their bodies fading one by one through the black and red colors. On the other side, there was a ravaged and destroyed liquor store. Open refrigerators and freezers revealed broken wine bottles and crushed beer cans. Dried alcohol stains lined the floor and the scent of liquor was much stronger. The fog was less dense than before, though it was still there. Through the yellow haze, the entire area was much darker. Color was void from the area, as most of the colors on cans and bottles had been faded into an ugly gray. But standing nearby an abandoned desk, a familiar white-haired student stood, his crimson eyes wide open with surprise. His pale hand was pressed against his chest.

"Nagisa-san!" Rei called out. "Are you alright?"

Kaworu didn't react to her call.

"So, is that how it will be?" Kaworu's voice was strangely quiet, though it did not lack his typical calm tone.

"Kaworu?" Shinji saw a sad-looking smile curl across his friend's lips.

Kaworu reacted to Shinji, suddenly turning around to see the other three students.

"Shinji! You're alright!" Kaworu's demeanor changed immediately, a huge grin replacing the strange expression he had before.

"Yeah, but are you alright?" Shinji was relieved to see he was cheerful again.

"I'm fine. Are you uninjured?" Kaworu questioned.

"Uh, yeah, we're good too, freak." Asuka broke into the happy reunion with a frown. "I'm so glad you care about us too."

"Souryu-san, please..." Rei smiled, sharing Shinji's feelings of relief that her investigation partner was safe and sound. "It's good to see you're alright, Nagisa-san."

"You too, Ayanami-san." Kaworu said, meeting her red eyes with his own. "Thank you for getting them. Now can find a way out." Kaworu explained.

"Finally!" Asuka said, thrusting her arms up into the air with happiness. "Out of this hellhole!" she cheered, rushing toward the exit.

Shinji smiled. They were all back together, and now they'd finally get out. Kaworu was okay and so was everyone else. His stomach was unsettled, raging about with nausea. To make matters worse, a sudden sound caught his attention.

There were voices. Mumbling voices around the four students began to get louder and louder, some of them sounding like the snarls that those strange creatures had. Rei shuddered, trying to maintain composure.

"What now?" Asuka asked angrily.

"This happened before." Rei answered. "That's when Kaworu told me to go get help..."

"Well we should get the hell out of here, then!" Asuka yelled.

"But how do we get out?" Shinji asked Asuka.

"You're the leader, aren't you?" Asuka asked.

"I...I..." Shinji had the role forced upon him. He didn't know quite how to react. That is, until an unearthly giggle filled the air.

"_**He may be a pathetic excuse for a man, but you're not taking charge like you usually do. What's the matter?**_"

The voice sounded familiar, but there was something very unnatural about it.

"Be careful." Kaworu glared at the doorway, looking around. Everyone turned to look toward the doorway, not quick enough to realize that the danger was right behind Kaworu himself. Without warning, a wine bottle collided with Kaworu's crown and knocked him out cold.

"Kaworu!" Shinji yelled, whipping around. His eyes widened. What he saw _couldn't _be possible. Asuka and Rei followed, suddenly in disbelief.

"What...?" Asuka asked, her voice dry.

Before them stood Asuka Langley Souryu. Though something was very different about the Asuka who stood before them. Asuka, who stood by Shinji's side, had her mouth wide open. Another Asuka was standing right in front of her!

The "Asuka" before them held a broken wine bottle, the shattered remains below Kaworu's unconscious body. She had the same fiery red hair and flawless skin, though she was not garbed in the school uniform as Asuka was. Instead, she wore a sunny yellow dress that reached to her knees. And what was truly unnatural about this "Asuka" was that her eyes were the same yellow that was all around the strange world they explored.

"Hey! What the hell? Why is there somebody pretending to be me?" Asuka barked, rising to challenge the newcomer.

"Souryu-san, we have to get Kaworu to safety..." Shinji knelt down to try and aid the unconscious Kaworu.

"What the? Hey! We're all kind in trouble here! I wanna know why there's a freaking CLONE of me here!" Asuka pointed directly at "Asuka".

"_**I'm not important. You're not important.**_" "Asuka" spoke, her voice mixed with a sound that resembled Asuka's voice, though incredibly unnatural.

"Of course I'm important!" Asuka yelled back. "I'm the greatest girl in the world! If you're trying to be me, why are you saying stupid things?" Asuka asked.

"Souryu-san, we have to..." Shinji tried to stop her from arguing.

"_**Follow the leader. I don't want to do that, but I have to.**_" "Asuka" giggled, a smile appearing on her face that appeared innocent. "_**What can I do? Nothing. I'm useless. A crumbling mess.**_ _**I can't even save everybody when I'm the only one with the guts to take charge. Or maybe I don't even have that!**_" "Asuka"'s smile suddenly turned anything but innocent, her yellow eyes narrowing.

"Souryu-san!" Shinji yelled.

"Ikari-kun, what's going on?" Rei asked, kneeling by Kaworu's other side. "Why is there another Souryuu-san?"

"This is bullshit!" Asuka screamed, clamping hands on her ears.

"_**Bullshit? No...no...your **_**act **_**is bullshit!**_" "Asuka" glared straight at Asuka, placing her hands on her hips.

Asuka opened her lips to shout, but nothing came out. Her planned reply died in her throat.

"_**That's right. You've got nothing to say to that. Why keep going when you were nowhere all along? We're going to die here, you see. There's no hope. Because you can't do anything to help!**_" "Asuka" cackled.

"That's not true, I..." Asuka's voice cracked, suddenly under pressure.

"_**I what? I can do it? Pfft.**_" "Asuka" moved closer to the group, suddenly taking on a demure stature. "_**You're just a clumsy idiot that tries to be headstrong to make herself look tough. You're not going to do nothing but lose! You're even more pathetic than Shinji Ikari, the boy who can barely speak for himself!**_"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Asuka screamed, falling to her knees.

"_**Oh, so now you can hear me? Acknowledge me? Perhaps you should know that you are me. And I am you, Asuka Langley Souryu. Your feelings are mine as well.**_" her pride was reflected in Asuka's mirror image, though it sounded twisted. Nastier. And yet, it sounded hurt. Like her ego was horribly wounded.

"That...that's not true!" Asuka glared at the girl who looked just like her, her fingernails digging into her palms.

"Ikari-kun, we have to stop her! Nagisa-san is..." Rei tried to call to Shinji, but he was focused on what was going on. Shinji had a horrible gut feeling replacing his violent nausea.

'_I don't like where this is going..._' Shinji thought, gripping Kaworu's unconscious shoulder nervously.

"STOP!" another voice called through the mist. Shinji's eyes widened as he looked behind him to see two figures rush through the fog.

"Hanamura-senpai?" Shinji asked, wondering if this was a dream after all.

"Stop her! Stop her before..." Yosuke yelled at Shinji.

It was far too late for any words.

"You...you aren't me! You're absolutely, definitely, and positively NOT me!" Asuka cried out, tears of rage rolling down her cheeks.

"Shit." Yosuke cursed, gripping a pair of kunai in his hands.

"_**Ah ha ha! Silly girl, I am you. And now, you will die.**_" "Asuka" suddenly was engulfed by black smoke, the figure of Asuka dissolving in moments.

"Get back, Ikari-kun!" Yosuke commanded. "Hey, Teddie! Help this guy!" Yosuke called to the mascot, motioning to the unconscious Kaworu.

"Got'cha!" Teddie waddled up to Kaworu, lifting him up above his head with both plush hands. Rei helped balance him.

"I'll help you." Rei told Teddie, unsure of what was going on, but wanted everyone to be safe.

"What...what..." Asuka fell to her knees, the madness of the moment knocking her down onto her back, wiping her out completely. She fell unconscious.

In the place of "Asuka", a large creature floated in midair. A monster in the form of a large red cloak had appeared, its face covered by a crimson hood. Thin hands were visible from the sleeves of the cloak, thorns covering every inch of exposed skin, accompanied by sharp, metallic fingers. The creature had no legs or feet, but instead the space below its body was completely made up of something that looked like a ring of yellow and red fire.

"That thing...is that like those creatures we faced before?" Rei asked, taking a glance back at the newly born monster.

"_**I am a shadow...the true self!**_" its voice was more twisted than before, though some fragments of it did resemble Asuka's tone and attitude. "_**You're as useless as I am. You'll all die here...**_"

"Dammit, this does not bring back good memories." Yosuke gripped his kunai and faced the monster with confidence.

"A shadow?" Shinji questioned, standing up beside Yosuke.

"I told you to go!" Yosuke glared. "You're not safe here, kid! Your dad will kill me if--"

"If I died?" Shinji asked. '_He wouldn't care._' he thought, biting his lip. "I want to fight with you." Shinji said weakly.

"You can't!" Yosuke shouted.

"_**Pathetic...**_" the shadow's voice rasped as it raised a sharp finger at Yosuke. A burst of flame erupted from it, singeing him right in the chest.

"GAH!" Yosuke fell back.

"Hanamura-senpai!" Shinji raced back to help him.

"I said go back!" Yosuke yelled, standing up quickly. He glared at the monster.

"Alright you stupid shadow, get ready to taste this!" Yosuke taunted, his muscles tensing. Shinji's eyes widened as he watched.

"PERSONA!" Yosuke shouted, a familiar blue card appearing before him. With the sharp kunai, Yosuke smashed the card to reveal a humanoid figure in red and blue. "Susano'O! Garudyne!" Yosuke commanded. A stronger gust than Shinji had used before was summoned, its sharp gales ripping through the shadow's cloak.

"_**AaAaaAaaaAhH!**_" it screeched. The ripped cloak revealed a bit of crimson skin underneath, covered in oozing thorns.

"Careful senpai, those thorns are poisonous!" a feminine voice echoed in Shinji's head.

"W-who was that?" Shinji asked.

"You heard that?" Yosuke turned to face Shinji; surprised he could hear Rise's advice.

"_**Stupid...boy...**_" the shadow hissed, raising another pointed finger at Yosuke. A larger burst of fire struck the orange-haired boy.

"Agh..." Yosuke was hit, though he didn't fall over. "Why aren't you running?" Yosuke grumbled, clutching where he was hit.

"Because I can fight too." Shinji answered. '_Can't I?_' he thought. He wanted to run. He always did. But now was not the time. He had a duty to accomplish.

"PERSONA!" Shinji yelled. Yosuke's eyes shot open.

"S-senpai, what is that?" Rise's voice echoed. "I feel another power there! One like ours!"

"U-uh, Rise-chan..." Yosuke turned his attention to see the Persona appearing behind Shinji.

"Job..." Shinji whispered his Persona's name. It glanced up at the shadow. "Garu!"

Though the wind was nearly as powerful as Yosuke's, it struck a critical blow. The shadow fell, its cloak spreading over its body and thorns.

"Ikari-kun, you..." Yosuke didn't know what to say. He shook his head. "Now's not the time for questions. Let's get rid of this thing." he glared at the fallen shadow. Shinji quickly nodded in response.

"_**N-no...you won't succeed. I fall, you fall, everything falls...**_" the Shadow murmured as it raised both hands, suddenly rushing forward as if to stab the two Persona users with its blade-like fingers.

"Susano'O!" Yosuke summoned his Persona. Susano'O appeared on command, the ring around its body lowering from its waist to its feet, firing it into the hood of the beast. Brave Blade.

"_**AaaAaAgH!**_" it screeched, liquid soaking into the cloth of its hood. It looked and seemed like blood, though it clearly wasn't.

"_**I will die, and you will too...**_" it sounded weak.

"Finish it off!" Yosuke shouted to Shinji. Job raised its fists ready to strike the shadow. With a swift strike of Job's hands, the shadow vanished in a large puff of black smoke.

In an instant, both Personas vanished. Shinji inhaled and exhaled slowly, leaning over to press his hands against his knees.

"Ikari-kun, you have a Persona?" Yosuke asked, leaning over to try and help him stand up straight.

"What? Persona?" Shinji didn't quite understand, but it sounded familiar.

"Ugh..." Asuka groaned, leaning up. "I..." she trailed off, trying to remember what happened. It all came back to her and she looked up, seeing that the shadow wasn't completely gone. "Asuka" had returned, though it held no expression. Yellow eyes stared into eyes of blue. As if begging to be accepted. But Asuka was stubborn.

"You...you imposter! You aren't..."

"Stop." Yosuke said sternly. Asuka whipped her head to face Yosuke.

"Stop what?" Asuka asked.

"It's going to go berserk again if you provoke it. That's your shadow. The part of you that says everything you're trying to hide. It's part of you." Yosuke explained.

"B-but...but I...I'm not weak. I'm not useless. I do things right. I...I..." Asuka began to sob, wiping her tears away with her arms.

"Souryu-san, it's okay." Shinji spoke softly, trying to comfort her. Asuka shot a glare at Shinji, which made him cringe. But her glare softened, and she nodded in Shinji's direction.

"Yeah, there are times when I lose confidence." Asuka admitted. "And there are times, a lot of times, when I think I'm no help. It doesn't help that Ikari-san can't do shit and then suddenly can save all our asses." Asuka mumbled. "Asuka" watched her intently.

"I tried to drown you out." Asuka explained. "I didn't want to be weak. But I guess it's okay sometimes...to admit when you can't be the one to save everyone. It's okay to pass the baton."

"Asuka" smiled and nodded, sharing the same tears that rolled down Asuka's cheeks. In an instant, Asuka heard a voice that no one else did.

"_**By conquering your ego, a new form has made manifest.**_"

Asuka's eyes widened as the figure of "Asuka" turned into something new. A floating crimson cloak was before her, its eyes covered by the same hood that the shadow had worn. Its lips were curved into a wise smile, and its exposed skin was no longer covered in oozing thorns. Instead, small sparks surrounded the body of the newly formed figure, generated by a ring of blue, purple, and red fire below the cloak.

"_**I am Mary Magdalene.**_"

In an instant, the figure vanished and transformed into a blue card, floating down to Asuka's palm. It vanished from her palm in a second, and Asuka smiled.

"Souryu-san, that was..." Shinji saw what had appeared before her, and he knew the same thing had happened to him.

"Heh. Well." Asuka huffed, her face pale. "I didn't actually mean that. Being weak is for people like you." Asuka smirked. Shinji smiled. He had a feeling that she did mean what she said.

"Hey! We need to go back!" Teddie called from afar, still carrying Kaworu.

"Is that your friend?" Yosuke asked, looking at Shinji.

"Yeah. My best friend. He was knocked out." Shinji explained. "Do you know how to get out of here?" Shinji asked curiously.

"Yeah." Yosuke nodded. "Rise-chan, can you get Naoto-kun and Chie-chan? We found them. We're heading back now." Yosuke spoke to seemingly no one, confusing poor Shinji and Asuka.

"Who the hell are you--" Asuka tried to ask.

"Righty-o." Rise answered, surprising Asuka. "I'll bring you back."

Shinji was blinded by light as suddenly the area around him disappeared. In an instant, he landed on his bum in the same yellow area that he had fallen into when he first arrived. Next to him, Asuka landed on her feet. The fog was still thick, but he could see some details on the other figures around him.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Teddie called, waving to the others. "This way!" he pointed to a stack of pink television sets on top of each other. Shinji saw the figure of Rei drag Kaworu's body through one of the screens. Shinji looked up to Yosuke, who was talking to two figures nearby. He couldn't see much of them through the fog.

"Let's get going, slowpoke." Asuka grabbed Shinji's arm and dragged him toward the exit. He was dragged through the bottom screen.

~*~*~

**April 15****th****, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Cloudy**

There was a weightless sensation that rolled through his body and everything around him appeared white. In a moment, he felt himself collide with a tile floor. He coughed as he raised his head up, looking around.

There was no fog. All around him were television sets. No one was around, but through the window he could see a cloudy sky. He was back in Inaba, in the Junes Electronics department.

He stood up slowly, his muscles aching. He coughed, feeling very sick. He looked to the TV he had fallen in and out of, suddenly seeing it ripple. Through the screen came two figures. Yosuke and someone else he didn't know. Asuka was already behind him, tapping her foot impatiently.

Shinji fell back down, his legs unable to stand for long.

"Dude, are you okay?" Yosuke asked, looking down at Shinji.

Shinji couldn't answer that with words. Nausea, fear, little bits of courage, and everything else that he managed to swallow down in that strange world was then vomited onto the floor. Yosuke grimaced.

"Clean up in the electronics department."

**To be continued.**


	7. VI

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: More information is good for the soul. Asuka's Arcana is The Tower. _

_**Disclaimer: **Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX. The combination results in massive explosions._

_

* * *

_**SIX: The Magician's Doubt**

**April 17****th****, 2012**

**Early Morning**

**Weather: Sunny**

The lurch in his stomach woke him up abruptly.

Quickly, Shinji rushed to the bathroom and hurled out his guts. He was still sick. His head felt light even after a day and a half had gone by.

He didn't go to school yesterday. He wasn't up to it. His body was still weak and he kept feeling feverish. It wasn't as bad this morning. Yesterday morning it was almost as bad as when he was actually in the strange world. He hadn't heard from anyone but Kaworu in the past day, hearing that he was out sick as well. Shinji could only assume that Asuka and Rei were out too. Thankfully, it was the beginning of the year and there wasn't much material that he could have missed in class in the past day. He wondered if he should take today off too.

Shinji trudged to the sink, looking at his own reflection. His face was pale and his body appeared thinner than usual. He dipped his head toward the sink as he turned on the faucet, splashing it with icy water. The chill woke up his senses, taking away the irritating warmth that came with illness. The sensation of heat returned quickly, as water didn't usually cure something like nausea or worse, a virus. He took a nearby washcloth and wiped his face with it.

'_I should probably go to school today._' he thought, his eyes glancing upward back at the mirror. '_Everyone might be there. We can talk about what happened, can't we?_'

He wanted to figure out what happened. Shinji hoped that he could learn about what that world was. But at the same time, the term "ignorance was bliss" stuck in his head and reminded him that maybe doing such things would take away the kind of life he lived so far. Curiosity, he also reminded himself, killed the cat. If he dared to learn about a dangerous place like the yellow, fog-filled world, he may live to regret it.

As he finished wiping his face, he heard the phone ring. Turning around and walking back to his bedroom, he picked it up.

"Ikari Residence." Shinji answered, his voice quiet and strained.

"It's Yosuke Hanamura. Is that you, Ikari-kun?" Yosuke asked through the receiving end.

"Hanamura-senpai." Shinji repeated his name, surprised to be hearing from him of all people. Shinji looked at the nearby clock. It was about half an hour until the morning class started. "Are you calling for my dad?" Shinji couldn't think of a reason as to why Yosuke would be calling other than to ask Gendo something. But then Shinji recalled it was Yosuke who did save him in that world.

"No, actually. I'm calling to talk to you about something. Are you feeling alright? Can you come to school today?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, I was planning on it." Shinji replied, eyeing his uniform in the closet.

"Alright. Can I meet you on the roof at lunch? Bring that redhead girl too. What's her name?" Yosuke asked curiously.

"Souryu-san." Shinji replied, recalling Asuka's event within that world.

"Yeah, bring her. I want you guys to meet some people. I've gotta go, so I'll see you later. Bye." Yosuke hung up the phone, leaving Shinji on the other end. He pressed the phone to his ear for a few moments before hanging up and placing it back into its station. He stared at the phone for a moment, trying to recall what had happened with Yosuke in the strange world.

'_He could do the same thing I could do._' he remembered, recalling Yosuke summoning something that looked similar to Job, the being Shinji himself had summoned. '_But what is it?_' Shinji questioned, slowly making his way to the closet to put on his uniform. He didn't try to hurry. If he was a little bit late, he didn't care. He still wasn't feeling too well. Kashiwagi wouldn't miss his presence.

As Shinji finished dressing himself, he grabbed his belongings and walked out of his room and down the stairs to the kitchen. His dad had already left for work, it seemed. Shinji didn't bother to ask if he was still home. He knew Gendo had already left. Shinji didn't bother to grab himself anything to eat. His stomach probably couldn't handle it. He promptly locked the door behind him as he departed from the house, pocketing his key and making his way to school.

~*~*~

The break between morning classes was short, but long enough for the third year students to converse.

"You went into the TV World last night?" Yukiko asked Chie and Yosuke, her expression full of interest.

"Yosuke called me. It turns out some kid he knows got himself into the TV World somehow, along with a couple of his friends." Chie explained. Yukiko gasped.

"How did he manage to do that?" Yukiko asked. Yosuke shook his head.

"I have no idea. But that's not all that happened." Yosuke said, looking away from the girls for a second to glance out of the window.

"What else happened?" Yukiko asked nervously. '_I might have an idea..._' she thought, glancing at Chie.

"Apparently that kid has a Persona." Chie stated.

"He does. I saw it. And there was a girl who was with him who had a Shadow. We beat it, though. Thankfully it wasn't too bad." Yosuke grimaced. He still had a couple of healing burns from the previous battle. He hadn't had much time to heal himself after the brawl.

"That's good to hear." Yukiko said in response to beating the Shadow. "But a Persona? That's weird. Did that kid, er, you said his name was Shinji?" Yukiko tried to remember his name.

"Yeah, Shinji Ikari." Yosuke nodded. "He's the son of the new Junes Manager."

"A boy after your own heart." Chie said with a smirk. Yosuke wasn't in the mood to fight back.

"I don't think he faced a Shadow. Or if he did, I didn't see it." Yosuke explained.

"Hey, that's just like..." Yukiko spoke up, her eyes wide. "...Souji."

"Like Souji? Pfft. Ikari-kun's nothing at all like Souji." Yosuke rolled his eyes. There was no way in hell that Shinji Ikari was similar to their former leader. But what if that was the case? Yosuke gulped. What would that mean to their investigation?

"Is Naoto-kun in class?" Yosuke asked, suddenly nervous.

"Yeah, probably." Chie answered. "Why?"

"Nothing. I told her that we're meeting with Ikari-kun and his friend on the roof at lunch anyway. You guys should come too." Yosuke explained the situation.

"I'd like to meet him." Yukiko said with a nod. "And learn about how he got his Persona." Chie nodded in response, agreeing with Yukiko. Yosuke smiled.

"Alright. Just go there during your lunch break." Yosuke told them.

"Okay class, time for biology! Get back in your seats! I think I'm feeling generous with my lesson today. How about a pop quiz?" Fuyutsuki questioned with a smile, the entire class responding in a very loud groan.

"We'll start with Hanamura-san, who's looking quite sure of himself today." Fuyutsuki grinned and Yosuke gulped.

"Crap." Yosuke muttered. '_Where's Souji when you need him?_'

~*~*~

The noon bell finally rang.

As Shinji finished gathering up his papers, he saw Kaworu approach him out of the corner of his eye. Shinji looked back up, smiling in return. Kaworu had a ring of bandages wrapped around his head, cushioned especially around the area where he was smacked with the wine bottle.

"Are you feeling alright?" Shinji asked. Kaworu nodded.

"Quite fine. But I still can't remember what happened after I told Ayanami-san to find you guys." Kaworu explained, scratching the area near the bandage.

"Oh." Shinji said, his expression dimming from relief to a bit of disappointment. Shinji reminded himself that there was no way Kaworu would have remembered what happened with Asuka, though he wanted to know what happened with Kaworu while Rei went to go find them. Kaworu was in a strange daze when Shinji found him. What exactly had happened to him?

"I have to go talk with Hanamura-senpai today about what happened. He's the one who saved us." Shinji told Kaworu.

"Hanamura-senpai?" Kaworu asked. "I've never met him before."

"He works at Junes. He's a third year here." Shinji explained. "I have to get Souryu-san too, so um, I'll see you later." Shinji bid Kaworu goodbye as he walked out of the classroom, leaving a disappointed Kaworu in the dust.

Shinji approached class 1-3 and opened the door, revealing more gossiping and conversing students. Asuka sat on top of a desk, eating her lunch happily with another girl with pigtails. They were engrossed in conversation, laughing and giggling merrily. Shinji felt guilty for interrupting.

"What is it?" Asuka asked, glaring at Shinji with her mouth full of food.

"Hanamura-senpai wants to talk to us." Shinji explained. "On the roof. About what happened."

"Eh? Why now when we're eating?" Asuka asked, obviously not wanting to give up her free time for serious discussion.

"What happened?" Asuka's companion questioned, looking between the two.

"Nothing important." Asuka answered, putting her lunch down. "If our senpai said so, then we'd better go" she said in an irritated tone, clearly not too willing to follow Shinji up to the roof.

"I'll be back, Horaki-san. Don't eat my lunch while I'm gone." Asuka joked, leaving the girl by herself while she walked in front of Shinji out of the classroom and to the roof.

As the two arrived on the rooftop, they saw six others waiting for them.

"Hey, I thought you said only one senpai wants to talk to us." Asuka hissed into Shinji's ear. Shinji was confused until he remembered Yosuke's words.

"That's right. He wanted us to meet some other people." Shinji recalled.

"Well, that's KINDA IMPORTANT." Asuka shouted.

"Sorry, sorry!" Shinji apologized, frightened at her sudden increase in volume.

"If you two don't mind finishing up your quarrel, I would like to introduce myself." a short student in blue spoke.

"Eh? Wait, you're one of the people who was in that place!" Asuka remembered Yosuke wasn't alone. She barely saw the outline and colors of two other figures, and remembered the same two helping her home that night, as she was too sick to walk on her own.

"I'm Naoto Shirogane, a second year." she introduced, tipping her hat in Asuka's direction, then in Shinji's.

"Shirogane-senpai, huh?" Asuka asked. "Well, aren't the rest of you going to introduce yourselves too?"

"Geez. You're straight to the point." Rise was clearly not impressed with Asuka's attitude.

"And who do you think you are?" Asuka asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm Rise Kujikawa, a second year. And you should address me as senpai in the future." Rise glared at the fiery red-head.

"Kujikawa-senpai is such a mouthful." Asuka complained. "I'll come up with a better name for you later."

The rest of the group introduced themselves to the two newcomers. Kanji Tatsumi, Yukiko Amagi, Chie Satonaka, and Yosuke Hanamura.

"I'm Asuka Langley Souryu. I'm sure you've heard of me." Asuka finally introduced.

"Oh right, you're that exchange student from Germany." Chie remembered hearing rumors.

"Glad you know your stuff." Asuka said, giving the green-garbed girl a thumb's up.

"And you're..." Yukiko looked at Shinji, noticing he had been quiet this whole time.

"Shinji Ikari." Yosuke introduced Shinji for him. Shinji nodded in response.

"Yeah." Shinji replied.

"Good to meet ya, Ikari-kohai." Kanji said with a grin.

"Y-yes, it's good to meet you too, Senpai." Shinji was a bit intimidated by Kanji's size. Despite being a second year, he was the tallest out of the group. And his getup wasn't exactly something that screamed 'I'm the kindest man in the world'.

"So why'd you call us up here?" Asuka asked, looking at Yosuke. "I've got a lunch to eat, you know."

"But didn't you already eat it?" Shinji asked. This was replied to with a punch in the back of the head.

"Shut up." Asuka glared at Shinji. Shinji cringed as he grabbed the back of his head.

Yosuke sighed.

"We would like to ask you a few questions." Naoto said, looking at Shinji. Shinji looked straight up at Naoto's gaze, noticing how confident and rigid it was. He suddenly felt like he was being interrogated.

"Sure." Shinji answered, still gripping the back of his head where Asuka had planted her fist beforehand.

"You fell into the television world on April 15th, correct?" Naoto asked. Shinji was confused at her phrasing it as the 'television world'.

"The weird world with fog." Yosuke tried to clear it up. Shinji nodded in response.

"Do you remember how exactly you managed to do that?"

"I...I don't know." Shinji answered. "I just remember Souryu-san pushing me toward a TV at Junes..." Shinji tried to recall the event that led to them falling into the strange world.

"And he grabbed me and dragged me in, along with his stupid friends!" Asuka continued his explanation.

"I see." Naoto said, averting her eyes from the two for a moment before looking at Asuka.

"What happened when you arrived? Who else was with you?" Naoto took note that Asuka said 'stupid friends'. Naoto recalled that it wasn't just the two of them in the TV World. There was an unconscious boy with white hair, his head bleeding slightly as she took a look at him. With him was a teal-haired girl in their school uniform. She didn't get a chance to get their names.

"Kaworu Nagisa and Rei Ayanami." Shinji answered. "They're both in my class, 1-2."

"Way to be overly specific." Asuka hissed.

"Perfect. Thank you." Naoto smiled. "Now, please explain the events that transpired in the TV World until your departure with us." Naoto explained.

"We split up." Shinji began. "Kaworu and Ayanami-san went one way, and Souryu-san and I went another."

Shinji and Asuka took turns explaining their venture to the apartment room.

"Apartment?" Chie asked, her eyes widening. "You don't mean _that _apartment, do you?"

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"It's nothing." Yosuke said. He leaned over to Chie, whispering in her ear. "It must have been that reporter's apartment from before. We found it too when we first went into that world."

"I know! Creepy, huh?" Chie asked, surprised that these two found the same place they had gone to.

"We were attacked by these weird things. They were these weird creatures with long tongues." Asuka scrunched her face up in disgust, remembering how she was harassed by the shadows that they encountered.

"Shadows." Naoto answered.

"Pardon me?" Asuka asked.

"You ran into some Shadows. They are beasts that live in that world." Naoto explained. "But please continue."

Shinji proceeded to explain about how the shadows had cornered Asuka, to which she wouldn't agree with. Asuka didn't want to mention she was the one in danger, though the rest of the group believed Shinji's story.

"And then, there was this strange sensation." Shinji began. "There was a voice in my head. And before I knew it, I was holding a blue card in my hand." Shinji explained.

"Blue card?" Rise asked, though the rest of the group visibly reacted to his story. "Just like that? There wasn't any... other "you" of you making fun of you or anything like that?" Rise kept asking.

"Rise-chan, please." Naoto stopped Rise from questioning him. '_That's my job._'

"No, nothing like that." Shinji suddenly felt on the spot.

"Interesting." Naoto muttered.

Yosuke recalled the time he got his Persona. He was with Souji and Teddie, exploring the television world for the second time. He got his Persona right after Souji got his. But now that he thought about it, Souji didn't have to face any shadow of himself either. His Persona just...appeared. Souji was a different person, though. He was stronger and more powerful than everyone in the group. Had his power been passed on? But if so, why to this _kid_?

"I smashed the card, and then something appeared behind me. It looked like a person, but it didn't." Shinji had trouble describing it. He wasn't quite sure what it entirely looked like now that he tried to remember it.

"Your Persona." Naoto answered.

"Persona?" Shinji asked.

"Hey, you shouted that word before that weird thing appeared." Asuka remembered.

"Did I?" Shinji asked, looking down and away from the group. '_I don't remember, but maybe I did..._' he tried to remember as hard as he could. It was difficult. They were in danger, and the thoughts and memories from those moments were scarce.

"Well, regardless, you do have a Persona. I'm not quite sure how you obtained it, but you have one. A Persona is the controlled ego, your power manifested into form." Naoto explained.

'_Your true self..._' Shinji recalled the voice in his head telling him such things.

"Huh? So, that weird thing is Shinji-kun's power or whatever? You're being really confusing." Asuka complained.

"And you. I heard that you faced your shadow." Naoto brought up the next event.

"You mean that doppelganger thing?" Asuka asked. "I think I passed out." Asuka didn't want to admit it, but it was the truth. "And then I woke up and I made it go away."

"Did you get a blue card as well?" Naoto asked. Asuka thought about it, pressing her index finger to her chin. In a moment, she snapped her fingers and smiled.

"Yes! I did! Wait, does that mean I can do the same things Ikari can?" Asuka asked, suddenly glowing.

"That's correct." Naoto said with a small smile. Asuka cheered.

"In your face! I can finally fight now, so don't expect to save my ass again!" Asuka boasted right in Shinji's face, making him back up considerably.

"After the battle with Asuka's shadow, I believe you returned here, correct?" Naoto asked Yosuke.

"Yeah, you saw me bring them back to the exit." Yosuke explained. "I brought Ikari-kun back home, and Chie brought Souryu-san back home."

"Right, right." Chie said, smiling. "She was a lot less energetic than she is now," she mumbled.

"So, that's it?" Naoto asked, closing her eyes for a moment.

"That's all we've got, Sherlock." Asuka said. "Now wanna explain some stuff to us?"

"What do you need to know?" Naoto asked.

"Um, wanna try _everything_? Do _all _of you have Personas or whatever the hell they're called?" Asuka pointed to each member individually, glaring at each one.

Every member nodded slowly, some of them replying with a 'yep' or 'yes'. Asuka sighed, continuing her barrage of questions.

"What is that world? Why do you guys have Personas?" Asuka asked. "And for how long?"

"It depends on the person, really." Naoto explained. "I was the last to get mine in this group. The first among us was Yosuke-senpai." she gestured to the orange-haired senpai.

"Yeah, keep going." Asuka wasn't satisfied.

"We don't know what that world is." Yukiko answered about the TV World. "It's been around for who knows how long. But we found out about it when we discovered the Midnight Channel."

"Midnight Channel?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah. The rumor was that if you watched a TV turned off at midnight when it was raining, your soulmate would show up." Chie remembered she was the first to introduce the idea to the group. "But it turned out it was showing us images of people who were thrown into the TV."

"Hold up. Is this related to the famous Inaba Murders I've been hearing about?" Asuka asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. These two things are very related." Naoto explained.

"Whoa. To think that something like this and something like those murders is connected to each other." Asuka was in awe. Shinji wasn't sure whether or not to ask about the past events.

'_They probably don't want to talk about it._' Shinji told himself, trying to keep listening.

"Hey, class is going to start soon." Rise pointed out.

"Crap. So soon?" Kanji asked, frowning.

"That is unfortunate." Naoto sighed. "But we can continue our conversation some other time."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Asuka said, nodding in response. "I'd better go back and finish my meal." Asuka stated. "Smell you later, Shinji-kun." she bid goodbye to Shinji and the others without turning to look back at them.

The students on the roof began to depart, eventually leaving Shinji and Yosuke alone.

"Hey, Ikari-kun." Yosuke caught Shinji's attention before he headed back to class.

"Huh?" Shinji asked.

"Teddie wants to talk to you too, so stop by at Junes after school sometime." Yosuke said.

"Oh, sure." Shinji replied.

"And don't worry about everyone else. In fact, don't worry about what happened. Nothing else is probably going to follow it up." Yosuke reassured him.

Shinji felt a bit relieved hearing that, but at the same time, there was a massive wave of insecurity washing over him. Was that true? Certainly something like this happening had to be a sign of things to come.

Even as Yosuke said that, Yosuke himself felt unsure. Shinji and Yosuke felt the same doubt, but covered it up so that neither would worry.

So they both went to class without another word.

~*~*~

It was that night when the phone at the Amagi Inn rang.

"Hello, Amagi Inn. You've reached the Information Desk, can I connect you to any of our services?"

"Yes, this is Souji Seta calling for Yukiko Amagi."

"S-Souji!?"

"Is that you, Yukiko?"

Yukiko was agape at hearing her boyfriend's voice over the line. Quickly, she put a "busy" sign on her desk so that she wouldn't be disturbed.

"How are you, Souji? I haven't heard from you for a week..." Yukiko toyed with the phone line, her excitement welling up. Souji chuckled from the other side.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's a bit lonely over here without you guys, though." Souji explained. Yukiko smiled.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But we're always thinking of you." Yukiko told him. "Why didn't you call on the cell phone?" Yukiko asked curiously. She always kept hers on her, just in case.

"Mine's out of battery." Souji explained. "But I wanted to give you a call regardless. How's everyone doing?"

"They're all fine. Teddie complains about missing you the most." Yukiko said.

"Even more than you?" Souji asked jokingly. Yukiko smiled and chuckled.

"Well, maybe not. Will you come to visit during the May Holidays?" Yukiko asked.

"We'll see. My parents are adamant about going away now. Since they left me for a year, they want to catch up with me and all before I go to college."

"I see." Yukiko said, a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Anything happening over there?" Souji asked. Yukiko bit her lip. She had to tell him.

"Something strange happened in the last few days." Yukiko explained.

"Are more people being killed? I thought we caught Adachi." Souji began to worry.

"No, no. You see, there was a group of first year students who fell into the TV World."

"What?" Souji asked, confused and interested. "How did that happen? You guys didn't bring them in, did you?"

"Absolutely not!" Yukiko snapped. "S-sorry. We didn't."

"It's okay. But how?" Souji was concerned.

"I'm not sure. Apparently one of them had the ability to and accidentally dragged them all in. Or so he tells us." Yukiko then began to explain their conversation with Shinji and Asuka that they had that afternoon. She explained how similar Shinji's experience was to Souji's, or from what Yosuke had told her before. Yukiko wasn't actually there to see Souji summon his Persona for the first time.

"So you met him?" Souji asked.

"Yeah. His name is Shinji Ikari. But that's not all. His friend faced her shadow too." Yukiko explained the story she had heard from Chie and Yosuke about Asuka's shadow.

"That is strange. And I thought all of that was over." Souji sighed. "I wish I could come back and investigate it with you."

"Me too. With you by our side, we'd find answers sooner." Yukiko clutched the phone wire tightly, leaning back in her seat.

"You don't need me to do that. You guys are a sharp bunch. I didn't find all the answers on my own." Souji told Yukiko, his voice confident.

"Most of them. You saved us from killing Namatame." Yukiko said.

"It wasn't just me who had faith that he wasn't guilty." Souji recalled. Yukiko smiled and sighed.

"Still." she said. "We miss you. _I _miss you."

"It's the way it has to be." Souji sounded sad, but willing to keep moving forward. "I'm trying to find a university near the Inaba area, so I can live near you guys next year. But my parents really want me to go to Tokyo U or somewhere prestigious."

"You're smart enough." Yukiko remarked. Souji chuckled.

"Not really." he tried to be modest, but Yukiko knew Souji was a real genius.

They sat in silence for a moment, Yukiko suddenly at a loss of what to say. She wanted to talk to him more, but what more was there? She could talk about the inn, but nothing had really happened there. Inaba really was a boring town.

"Oh, I've gotta go." Yukiko heard Souji say. She could hear voices in the background. It must have been his parents.

"Oh, alright..." Yukiko couldn't hide her disappointment.

"But I'll call you soon. I hope you guys figure some more stuff out." Souji encouraged her.

"I love you, Souji." Yukiko said with a broad smile.

"I love you too. Goodbye for now." Souji's voice was slow and affectionate, just as she remembered it. She blushed. She hung up the phone after whispering 'goodbye'.

~*~*~

**????**

**????**

**Weather: ????**

He opened his eyes to a familiar blue setting.

Shinji was back in the Velvet Room as he had drifted off to sleep that night, sitting in the same blue seat across from the long-nosed Igor.

"Welcome back." Igor greeted Shinji. "By now, you've probably come to terms with your ability."

"My Persona?" Shinji questioned. Igor chuckled.

"Very good. You have finally realized your potential. And now, the true journey begins." he folded his gloved hands and glanced downward at the table, where a crystal key sat. It floated up into the air and into Shinji's hands.

"What is this?" Shinji asked, examining the key curiously.

"That is your key to this Velvet Room." Igor explained. "From now on, you will come here at your own will."

"My own will?" Shinji asked. '_Not in my dreams anymore._'

"That's right." Igor nodded. "And you may come here anytime you wish. An entrance will be available to you in your world." Igor glanced to his side, looking at the other figure in the limousine. Shinji saw him look to the side and saw the woman he had noticed in his last visit here. Finally, she looked up from the book she held and her head was pointed in Shinji's direction. Her face was obscured with a mask. The mask was a very dark purple that stood out from the blue wardrobe she wore. An upside-down triangle was in the center of the mask, surrounded by seven thin eyeballs. Four lined the right side of the mask, and three lined the left side. It was unearthly and a bit creepy to Shinji, but yet a strange comforting feeling came from this woman.

"This is my assistant. She will be helping you as well." Igor introduced.

"Welcome." she spoke for the first time. Her voice was warming and soothing, though also official and very dignified.

"You may refer to her as the Woman in Blue." Igor explained. The woman nodded.

"Why does she have to wear a mask?" Shinji dared to ask. Igor chuckled and the woman looked back down at the large book in her lap.

"That is something you must discover for yourself." Igor instructed.

"I am able to fuse powers to create new Personas for your use. Your potential is very different than that of others. You have the Wild Card, and thus your current Persona is not your only Persona. You may keep that Persona if you wish, but in time, you will need more powerful abilities. And for that, you must come here." Igor explained. "Now, our time is coming to a close. It was wonderful seeing you again."

Before Shinji could say anything else to Igor or the Woman in Blue, he awoke in his room.

~*~*~

**April 17****th****, 2012**

**Evening**

**Weather: Rainy**

It was raining, though it had been sunny earlier that day.

Naoto stepped out of the shower, her small body wrapped in a towel. Her hair was short, so thankfully it didn't require much time to dry. Naoto repeated the conversation and facts she had heard earlier that day, trying to determine why Shinji was different than the rest of them. She sat on her bed and looked at the flashing TV. She had often kept the news on until she fell asleep. No interesting news tonight. Just a couple of celebrity interviews. She turned the TV off, seeing no reason to keep it on tonight. She leaned back to the wall behind her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

'_Why do I feel insecure?_' Naoto thought, suddenly recalling her conversation with Adachi. '_Is it because this truly isn't over?_' the insane man's laughter rang through her head, causing chills to run down her small spine. It was then she heard a very familiar sound.

"Hm?" Naoto sat up, staring at her TV. There was an image on the screen. She was sure she had turned it off. Her eyes widened as she glanced at the clock. 12:00 exactly. She gasped, racing to the TV to see the image more closely.

A silhouette of a woman stood, though her features were obscured by darkness. A faint voice came through the sound system.

"_...nkind shall fa...our hands..._"

And in an instant, the image disappeared as the clock struck 12:01.

**To be continued.**


	8. VII

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: Looking over this chapter was difficult, and I hope that it passes. I may or may have not unintentionally given Shinji emo glasses. It occurred to me at the wrong time. _

_**Disclaimer: **Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX. _

_

* * *

_

**SEVEN: ****Judgement's**** First Call**

**April 18****th****, 2012**

**Noon**

**Weather: Cloudy**

"You saw _what_?"

"A person. On the screen."

"B-but, isn't it over?"

The second year students sat in their class, awaiting the afternoon classes to begin. Misato Katsuragi wrote the next lesson on the board, clearly uninterested in listening to the jabber of students going on behind her. Naoto took a sip of her chilled green tea from a blue thermos, her face scrunching at the flat taste. '_Wrong tea_.' she thought.

"Back up a bit, Naoto-kun." Rise tried to wrap her brain around the situation. "What did you see on the screen?"

"A woman's figure, I believe. It was difficult to determine height and other features, as I could only see the shadow of her body." Naoto explained. "I could also barely make out her hair color and style."

"Which is?" Kanji pressed.

"It was a light blue-green color. Almost teal, I believe. And there was something on her head that stuck out. It appeared to be horn-like. But then again, it could have been an ornament or a hat." Naoto tried to conclude her though process, unsure of what the figure wore.

"This is bad." Kanji said sharply.

"You think?" Rise asked sarcastically. "Did you tell Senpai about this?" Rise asked Naoto.

"Not yet. I'll tell Yosuke-senpai and the others later." Naoto explained. "Right now, I want to really think about this clearly."

"Ya think we should tell the new guy too?" Kanji asked Naoto, referring to Shinji.

"Perhaps. We'll ask the others in the group before consulting with these new Persona wielders." Naoto had a feeling they'd have to, but gave them the impression that they required trust to recruit right away.

"A'right." Kanji said, sitting down at his desk and putting his feet up. "Well then, we'll chillax 'til the end of the day, then we'll panic again."

"Y-you're too calm!" Rise screeched. "What if someone's throwing people into the TV again? What if Adachi got out of prison?"

"That's not possible." Naoto stated. "Adachi's is sentenced to the death penalty by his actions. It's quite possible he's not alive."

"Do you know when he's getting executed?" Rise asked quietly, horrified. Kanji's fingernails dug into his palm. Remembering their visit to that lunatic made him angry.

"No. I don't have police authority anymore." Naoto answered, looking away from Rise. "However, I have learned they hired a new detective in Adachi's place. That's all I truly know."

"How did you learn that?" Rise asked.

"The news." Naoto answered. "It was a big deal."

"_Everything_'s a big deal in this town." Kanji remarked. He was right about that. Even something that didn't seem important was huge in a small country town like this. It was that way for the murders and the scandal that had occurred a year ago.

"Very true." Naoto agreed with Kanji.

"Alright everyone, class is starting! Put your lunches away!" Misato called to the class, the bell echoing in the hallway.

"We'll discuss this later." Naoto told them both as she put away her empty lunch containers into her desk.

"Right." Rise said, doing the same and sitting at her seat politely. She groaned as she saw the information on the board.

"Aww, math sucks!"

~*~*~

**April 18****th****, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Rainy**

"Going to Junes?" Kaworu leaned over Shinji's desk and smiled straight at him as he always did. Shinji nodded.

"Yeah. I have to ask Yosuke-senpai something." Shinji explained, gathering his belongings.

"May I join you? I don't have any plans this afternoon." Kaworu asked politely. Shinji smiled.

"Sure." Shinji replied, happy to have Kaworu come along.

Kaworu no longer had the bandage around his head. His injuries seemed to heal in no time at all. It was amazing. Shinji wondered how that was so, but he recalled how much Yosuke had been burnt by Asuka's Shadow, and now the burn was barely visible on his skin. Shinji wondered if it had anything to do with his Persona.

'_But that wouldn't make sense. Kaworu doesn't have one._' Shinji thought, remembering that little fact didn't apply for everyone.

As the two walked outside, they saw it was raining. Both got out their umbrellas and began to make the trek to Junes.

"What did Yosuke-senpai have to tell you yesterday?" Kaworu asked.

"It was about that world." Shinji explained. "And about what happened to Asuka, and me."

"And you?" Kaworu asked. "What happened to you?"

'_He didn't see my Persona._' Shinji remembered. '_He was knocked out before the battle._'

So Shinji proceeded to explain about what had happened with Asuka and the battle afterword. Kaworu's face turned from cheery to somewhat grim.

"I see." Kaworu said, nodding. "Persona...what an odd name for a power." Kaworu muttered, looking down at the hand that held onto his umbrella.

"Yeah, it was strange." Shinji's voice was quieter than before.

"But at least it won't happen again, right?" Kaworu asked, his smile returning in a flash. Shinji laughed nervously.

"Right!" he agreed as they finally reached the department store.

Folding their umbrellas, Shinji caught sight of the Junes Mascot waddling around the area. In moments, Teddie saw them and waddled in their direction.

"Shinji-kun! Welcome back!" Teddie greeted.

"Hey Teddie." Shinji said. "Do you know where Yosuke-senpai is?"

"Yosuke? Um...um..." Teddie tried to think. "I think he's working in the food place." Teddie explained.

"Do you know which "food place"?" Shinji asked. Junes had a huge grocery department. He could have meant produce, dairy, at the butcher's, really anywhere. Shinji had a feeling that his dad would stick Yosuke wherever they needed help. His dad wasn't exactly aware of Yosuke's preference of working area.

"The place where they have fruit and stuff." Teddie replied.

"Produce." Kaworu said, turning toward the elevator.

"Right, that place." Teddie nodded. "But hey, Shinji-kun! Are you feeling better? That place can have a sort of weird effect on people." Teddie explained.

Shinji paused. Was he feeling better? He didn't feel nauseous anymore, which was good. But he still felt insecure and a bit nervous. If he had to return there, would someone have to face their Shadow again? It seemed like a painful process. He was relieved he didn't have to go through with it.

"Y-yeah. I'm doing much better." Shinji answered. Teddie grinned.

"Beary good! I'm glad you're better! And what about you, Kaworu-kun? You got hurt pretty badly." Teddie used his common bear puns once again. Kaworu chuckled.

"I'm doing fine myself. It's a relief that you guys were there to save us." Kaworu thanked Teddie.

"We were scared for a while that you guys were done for." Teddie told them, waddling closer to Shinji.

"We thought so too." Shinji muttered. '_It was so close. Too close. If Yosuke-senpai didn't show up, I don't think I would've been able to handle that Shadow on my own. Kaworu probably wouldn't have gotten out in time._' he thought.

"Well, shall we go find Hanamura-senpai?" Kaworu gestured to the elevators, still smiling all the while. Shinji nodded and walked toward the elevators, the squeaking of Teddie's feet right behind him.

"I'll come with you. I don't have any kids to entertain when it's raining." Teddie explained, squeezing himself into the elevator with Shinji and Kaworu.

As they arrived at the grocery department, they immediately saw Yosuke attending to a couple of women. The blue-haired second year teacher Misato Katsuragi, along with the same blond woman in the hospital uniform that had come to the store before were asking Yosuke about special deals.

"Ah, what a cute mascot!" Misato exclaimed as she saw Teddie approach Yosuke.

"Yeah, he's something." Yosuke tried to sound pleased, though having Teddie appear again was something he never quite looked forward to. But seeing Shinji and Kaworu perked his interest. "If you'll excuse me, ladies." he smiled quickly and walked a bit closer to the two boys.

"Something wrong?" Yosuke asked.

"He wanted to ask you something." Kaworu explained. Shinji stuttered to get out his first question.

"What's up, then?" Yosuke asked.

"Have you been to the Velvet Room?" Shinji asked.

"Huh?" Yosuke's expression turned quizzical.

Shinji had wondered about it for a long time. There was still so much he didn't understand. The Velvet Room that had appeared in his dreams was one of the bigger mysteries. But he recalled Igor said he was in that place because of his "potential". That had to be his Persona power, didn't it? Maybe everyone else had been there too.

"It's this blue room with this guy...he said his name was Igor." Shinji suddenly felt embarrassed, as he realized that Yosuke had no idea of what he was talking about. He was wrong to assume that they had all been there.

"Dude, I don't know what you're talking about." Yosuke replied bluntly.

"O-oh...um...alright." Shinji gave up. It was worth a try.

"Is that it?" Yosuke asked. "I kinda have to keep working."

"Senpai!" came a voice from the elevators. It was Naoto and Rise.

"Yo. What brings you guys here?" Yosuke greeted.

"She saw something on the Midnight Channel!" Rise shouted. Yosuke's expression dimmed.

"What?" he asked.

With Shinji and Kaworu present, Naoto explained what she saw and heard on the Midnight Channel the previous night.

"Are you serious?" Yosuke asked, mouth agape.

"As serious as one could be." Naoto said.

"Crap. That's _not _good. Someone's in danger." Yosuke panicked.

"But what it said conflicts with the past victims. Before, we couldn't hear anything from those images until they appeared on a TV set like location. The voice was very distorted, and I could not figure out what it was trying to say." Naoto explained.

"Was it her voice, or another voice?" Yosuke asked.

"Unless this woman has a very deep voice, it was the voice of another." Naoto concluded. The tone of the voice was deeper than that of any human female. However, it was heavily distorted and almost inaudible. She could be mistaken.

"Wait, so..." Shinji spoke up and Naoto turned around.

'_How long has be been there?_' Seeing him and Kaworu surprised Naoto.

"So?" Naoto asked, curious as to what his question was.

"Does that mean you guys are going back there?" Shinji asked. "To that world?"

"Only if something shows up on the screen tonight. It's supposed to keep raining until tomorrow morning, so something will show up. Ikari-kun, please watch your TV at midnight." Naoto thought it was time. Perhaps his input would help them with the ordeal.

"S-sure." Shinji recalled they mentioned the Midnight Channel when they spoke on the roof. "But what does it mean when someone shows up?" he asked. Naoto bit her lip.

"It means someone might die." she answered.

"Is that so?" Kaworu asked, his expression turning grim. "Are you sure?"

"That's what it meant before." Rise answered for Naoto. "Whenever someone showed up, it was like a ransom note. And after that, someone was thrown into the TV." Rise explained. "I was one of those people."

"You were?" Shinji asked.

"Oh yeah." Rise nodded. "It was really awful." she frowned. "Worst experience of my life." she bitterly mumbled.

"I...see." Shinji wasn't sure of what to make of that. How did someone manage to throw people into the TV World? And how did the TV know someone was going to get captured before they even were?

"Hey, um, guys." Yosuke tried to catch the group's attention. "Not that this isn't a great reunion time, but I've really gotta get back to work."

"Oh, my apologies, senpai." Naoto apologized. "I forgot where we were."

"Oh! That reminds me, I should look around for some new blouses!" Rise jumped up and raced to the elevator.

"Okay, whatever." Yosuke chuckled as Rise ran off. He waved to Naoto as she left and turned to Shinji, Kaworu, and Teddie.

"You guys better head home too." Yosuke told them, though he was nowhere close to being a responsible person.

"What about me?" Teddie asked, his face glowing.

"Not you, you're still on your shift." Yosuke glared at Teddie.

"If you say so, senpai." Kaworu nodded and took Shinji by the arm. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Mmhm. See ya." Yosuke bid goodbye to the two as they traveled up the elevator.

Shinji felt like he didn't get to ask everything he wanted to. But there would be a time where he could later. Tonight, he'd have to watch this Midnight Channel and see what appeared on it.

And from there, he wondered if he truly did have to go back to that mysterious world.

~*~*~

**April 18****th****, 2012**

**Evening**

**Weather: Rainy**

Shinji said goodbye to Kaworu and headed back home soon after departing from Junes. He promptly went home and made himself dinner, leaving the leftovers in the fridge for lunch the next day. A typical evening. He did his homework, listening to music intently. He heard his dad come home and eat something, though he didn't bother to go back downstairs and say hello. Shinji sprawled himself out on the bed and stared at the blank TV.

'_It's almost midnight._' he told himself, removing the ear buds from his headphones. There was a flash and he heard a strike of thunder past his window. It must have really been storming. The clock struck midnight.

The screen was fuzzy for a moment before an image finally appeared. Shinji's eyes widened as he saw strange, bright scenery. There was a bright blue sky and light filled the screen from corner to corner. It was then he saw a young woman walk in from the right side. Though upon really looking at her, she didn't appear to be human at all.

Her hair was a dark teal, short and cut toward the bottom of her neck. Two strange objects were fixed in her hair, one of them appearing to be a circular mask-type thing that had a very sharp point sticking out towards the air. It almost looked like a beak if you didn't see it clearly. She was barely clad, a majority of her chest visible and censored just well enough by a jacket that surrounded the width of her body. Her shoulders were covered with something that appeared to be armor, though it was a crusty gray color. Dark blue sleeves covered her arms all the way down her wrists, where her fingers were covered in similar material. The same material wrapped around her legs, exposing several parts of her lower body including her thighs and her left knee, as well as her feet. But what truly stuck out were the large wings on her back, colored a bright blue with blood red tips.

'_What __**is **__she?_' Shinji was in awe at the inhuman figure.

"**I await the arrival of what you call fog. Upon that day, our power shall rain down upon your race.**" there was a voice that echoed through the system, though the mouth on the woman's face didn't move.

'_What is that?_' the voice sounded feminine, though it was twisted and definitely did not sound human at all.

"**Count down the days to your judgment.**" the voice said before the clock struck 12:01. The screen turned blank. Shinji pressed his hands against the screen, anxious for more. What did she mean? What was she talking about? That _was _her talking, right?

There was only the sound of rain to respond to him.

~*~*~

**April 19****th****, 2012**

**Early Morning**

**Weather: Cloudy**

Shinji didn't sleep well afterward.

He was sleepy upon arriving to school the next day. The clouds in the sky warned the city of more rain, and he was ready this time. Shinji made his way to the classroom and opened the door to see someone he didn't expect.

"Shirogane-senpai?" Shinji asked.

"You saw it, didn't you?" she asked, glaring straight at him. Shinji nodded.

"What was that? Did people appear like that before?" Shinji asked. Naoto shook her head.

"Nothing like this has ever happened. Usually, the shadow of the victim shows up as someone is thrown into the television. However, no one has ever issued a warning. This person did not appear to be human." Naoto remarked. Shinji noticed that too.

"Please tell your friend Souryu-san about this as well. I want you to meet us at Junes later after school." Naoto instructed, getting up and walking out the door, leaving Shinji to his thoughts. He sat at his desk, staring at the board in front of him.

'_Will I go back to that place?_' Shinji wondered. '_That person, that thing, where was it standing? Was such a place in that weird world?_' the place that woman was didn't seem like a place that would be in that corrupted world. It seemed pleasant, warm, and unreal.

"I saw it too." Kaworu had walked in straight after Naoto, clearly hearing their conversation.

"You did?" Shinji nearly jumped at his arrival.

"Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't a message of peace." Kaworu chuckled. "Nonetheless, I'd like to come with you again. If you're going back into that world, I won't let you go alone." Kaworu explained.

"O-okay." Shinji agreed. It made him feel a little better. If Kaworu came along, he wouldn't have to be harassed by Asuka the whole time. He didn't exactly know anyone else that well either, so his presence would help him a bit more.

It was later that day that Shinji and Kaworu informed Asuka of what had happened, where she immediately flipped out and refused to come along at first. Kaworu's calm influence didn't even persuade her. Shinji was at a loss until Rei had caught on to their conversation.

"Are you guys going back into that world?" Rei asked.

"It looks like it." Kaworu answered. "Do you want to come too?"

"Why bring her? She can't fight! And neither can you, pale-face!" Asuka argued, jabbing her index finger in Kaworu's line of vision.

"I can bring a weapon at least." Kaworu explained. "And so can she."

"_No way_ is she coming. She's going to get her ass kicked and then what'll you do? You'll cry your guts out because you're a freaking pansy." Asuka said, directly referring to Shinji. "So I'll come along and defend your sorry ass."

"Now that you say that, maybe it's better that I don't come along this time." Rei said, frowning. "I don't have anything to bring with me."

"Whatever. I still have to defend _your _ass, anyway." Asuka glanced at Kaworu and Shinji. "Are we going back to that stupid department store?"

"Yes." Kaworu and Shinji said at the same time.

"Not again!" Asuka despairingly exclaimed.

~*~*~

**April 19****th****, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Cloudy**

Kaworu took a quick pit stop between school and Junes to grab his weapon as he said he would. Shinji and Asuka stopped at Kaworu's house, waiting for him outside while he gathered what he needed.

"Souryu-san, have you..." Shinji suddenly found himself asking about the Velvet Room again. He stopped himself and Asuka turned to face him.

"Have I what? Finish your stupid questions!" Asuka barked at him.

"Never mind." Shinji was shut down. Asuka rolled her eyes.

"Typical. Can't even ask me a stupid question." Asuka provoked, folding her arms.

"I'm confused." Shinji muttered.

"Huh?" Asuka asked, seemingly uninterested but asking anyhow.

"How am I supposed to take all of this in?" Shinji asked himself more than her. "That world, the Velvet Room, why is all of this happening to me?" Shinji asked.

"Why so philosophical? It's a chance to be a hero." Asuka explained, thrusting out her arms toward the cloudy sky. "Not that you could ever be one. You'd be a sidekick at most. You need a backbone."

"I have one." Shinji replied, trying to stick up for himself.

"No. You really don't." Asuka put him back down. '_He has guts though._' she thought. '_He doesn't complain about this though_.'

Shinji glared at her for a moment, but it dropped quickly. '_Can I really do this? What is this going to lead to?_' Shinji thought in regards to entering the TV World again. It was scary last time, and he didn't want to get sick again.

"I'm back." Kaworu called from the doorway, now holding two objects in his hands. Asuka's jaw dropped and Shinji's eyes widened.

"H-how did you get those!?" Asuka exclaimed.

In one of Kaworu's hands was a large, gray scythe. The blade was a bit rusty, but the handle had a bit of of sheen to it. In the other hand was a very dull and small hatchet. Kaworu handed the hatchet to Shinji.

"Um, what do I do with this?" Shinji asked, the weight of the axe nearly tipping him over.

"Use it." Kaworu explained.

"Wait, wait, wait." Asuka snatched the hatchet from Shinji, examining it. "I should get this." she declared.

"Huh? But Kaworu gave it to..." Shinji began.

"Doesn't matter! You can't use an axe to save your life, kid. Better put it in the hands of someone who actually can, right?" Asuka winked and hid the hatchet under the coat of her school uniform. "Don't want people to see this." she said in a whisper.

Shinji felt disappointed that what Kaworu had tried to give him was taken away so quickly. But he realized she was right. He couldn't use an axe, much more use it for combat. He wasn't sure he could use any kind of weapon. He examined Kaworu's scythe, his eyes glowing.

"Do you want this?" Kaworu asked, feeling bad for his friend. Shinji shook his head.

"No, you can use that." Shinji told him.

"Alright, if you insist." Kaworu said, nodding. He held out the scythe in front of him, and Shinji realized it was as tall as he was. How on Earth was Kaworu going to hide _that_?

"Don't swing that thing around, pale-face." Asuka warned, glaring at Kaworu before turning in the direction of Junes.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything else for you, Shinji." Kaworu apologized. Shinji shook his head, trying to smile.

"It's fine. I'll be okay. You're the one who needs a weapon anyhow. You don't have a Persona." Shinji reminded him.

"Ah...yes." Kaworu's eyes glazed over for a moment before nodding in response.

"So let's get going, slowpokes!" Asuka began to march toward Junes, the two boys following her.

~*~*~

"Okay, so have we determined where she could be?" Naoto asked the group surrounding the Junes Food Court table, referring to the woman who had appeared on the screen.

"It looked a bit like the place where Nanako-chan was taken to." Yukiko had watched the Midnight Channel the previous night, as well as the others. "Heaven."

"I thought so too." Naoto smiled. "A strange place to hide out in my opinion." she muttered.

"Oh hey! You guys!" Teddie caught sight of Shinji and the others as they made it to the Food Court.

"There you are. Geez, mind telling us _where _in Junes to go?" Asuka argued as she made her way to a seat next to Yosuke and Chie. She took out her hatchet from her uniform and forcefully placed it on the table.

"Dude." Yosuke jumped. "I knew you were violent, but really..."

"We're going back there, aren't we?" Asuka forcefully asked. "Thought it'd be best to be armed."

"Wow, not bad." Chie smiled.

"She's scary." Yosuke whimpered and moved a bit further away from Asuka. Naoto looked up at Shinji, then Kaworu nearby.

"Hm? Why are you here?" Naoto asked as she saw Kaworu.

"I'd like to help as well. I've come armed as well." he brandished the scythe. Naoto bit her lip.

"You were injured last time. Are you prepared to deal with the consequences if it happens again?" Naoto knew she really couldn't stop him if she tried. She couldn't stop anyone willing to help a friend.

"Of course." Kaworu dipped his head in respect toward Naoto.

"Alright then, so are we ready?" Naoto asked.

"As ready as we'll ever be!" Rise exclaimed.

Shinji gulped.

"Hey, Ikari-kun." Yosuke and Chie turned to him, followed by Yukiko. "We found this the other day." Chie proceeded to pull out an imitation katana from her jacket. It appeared old, though not too old. It also appeared used, as several stains were on the wooden blade.

"Um..." Shinji wasn't sure of what to say. Was he supposed to take it?

"It belonged to Souji Seta, our leader." Chie told him.

"He left it here because he couldn't take it with him." Yukiko explained. "It was his first weapon."

"Other than that old golf club..." Yosuke muttered.

"We thought you might be able to use it." Chie said, holding out the handle of the katana for Shinji to take. Shinji wondered if this was right. It was something really important to the group. Was he worthy enough to wield it? He reached out for the blade's handle and wrapped his fingers around it, feeling the wooden texture on his rough skin. Chie let go of it and the weight suddenly threw off his balance and pulled Shinji down onto the ground. Laughter sprang up from all around him.

"What a wimp!" Asuka exclaimed, her cold laughter ringing in his ears.

"Um...didn't expect that." Yukiko said, trying to stop herself from laughing.

"Ow." Shinji muttered, trying to lift up the blade from off the ground. It was too heavy for him to hold, even with both hands. Chie took it back from him and helped him up.

"That's too bad." Chie sighed.

"Well, now that we got that out of the way, let's get going." Yosuke said, leading the way to the Electronics Department.

Shinji trailed the group, deep in thought. Was he just proven unworthy? What did the group think of him now? Perhaps he _was _weak.

'_I can't let it bother me._' he reminded himself, a sudden rush of confidence running through. '_Just because I can't carry a katana doesn't mean I'm useless._' he tried to cheer himself up, though it proved to be difficult.

~*~*~

One by one, each person slipped through the same TV Shinji had fallen through before. When it was Shinji's turn, he hesitated before pulling himself through. He didn't fall as he did before, but instead walked straight onto the yellow surface of the platform he first arrived on. The thick fog and bright surroundings burned his eyes and he suddenly felt another headache coming on.

"Oh! I forgot to give you this!" as Teddie came through, he caught up to Shinji and reached into his costume's pocket. He pulled out a pair of thick, black glass and placed them into Shinji's open palm.

"Huh? Glasses?" Shinji asked, examining them.

"You'll need those to see. Oh, and I have one for Asuka-chan and Kaworu-kun too." Teddie waddled over to Asuka and Kaworu, handing them each a pair of glasses. Asuka's had dark red frames. They looked a bit similar to Yukiko's glasses, though the color was much darker. Kaworu's glasses were a dark gray color, with the lens slightly faded.

They each put on their glasses and suddenly the fog vanished entirely from their line of sight.

"Whoa!" Asuka exclaimed.

"This is amazing!" Shinji felt much better all of a sudden. With the fog gone, everything was much clearer, and he didn't feel nauseous.

"Isn't it?" Teddie glowed with pride. "I made them myself!"

"That's great, Teddie." Kaworu pat the bear on the back. "You should be proud of your skills."

"Aw, you're so nice!" Teddie blushed at Kaworu's compliment.

"Hey, this is all fuzzy and happy, but we need to keep going." Yosuke grunted at the four behind the group.

Rise stood near the center of the area, a being appearing behind her. The body of a woman with several satellites extruding from her body placed a strange cover over Rise's eyes while a larger satellite upon its head began to rotate.

"Her Persona doesn't battle." Yosuke muttered to Shinji, knowing he'd be confused.

"Really?" Shinji asked. "Is she the one I heard that one time?" he recalled the battle where he heard a voice in his head.

"Yeah. She follows us, but stays at a distance to help analyze enemies." Chie heard the conversation and joined in. "She's our support member."

"I found it!" Rise yelled. "There's a huge amount of unusual energy at where Nanako-chan was kidnapped!"

"Do you know where within the dungeon?" Naoto asked.

"Unfortunately no." Rise frowned as Kanzeon (her Persona) vanished.

"Then we'll have to investigate the entire dungeon in groups." Naoto determined.

With that choice, the group made their way through the strange and bizarre world. Shinji didn't realize how much he had missed when the world was shrouded in fog. He saw so many things he didn't before. But as they got closer and closer to their destination, he saw the yellow vanish and turn to calmer and cooler colors. Eventually, he saw bubbles appearing from nowhere and small beanstalks growing up from the floor.

"Where are we?" Shinji dared to ask.

"It's called Heaven." Naoto told him. "It was a place that appeared when our Senpai's cousin was kidnapped."

"I see." Shinji could easily see why it was called Heaven. As they arrived at the gate to the dungeon, he could see the same blue sky that was shown on the TV, along with sparkling paths and serene rainbows.

"It's too _happy_. I'm missing the yellow stuff already." Asuka frowned.

"You're no fun." Rise glared at Asuka before looking up at the dungeon's gates. "How are we splitting up, Naoto-kun?"

"We'll have three group leaders and we'll separate to different regions. I'll be one. Chie-senpai can be another. Shinji-kun, you can be the other."

'_Am I being too hasty?_' Naoto thought, biting her lip.

"Eh? Why _him_?" Asuka demanded to know.

"His power is similar to that of our Senpai. I want to give him a chance to prove himself." Naoto explained her reasoning.

"That's fine." Shinji smiled slightly.

"Um, Naoto-kun, that's a bad plan." Yosuke stated. Asuka nodded firmly.

"Thank you! Someone agrees with me!"

"Why?" Naoto asked.

"He doesn't know the area. He can't possibly lead us forward knowing the kind of Shadows and such around." Yosuke explained.

"Well, if you think he'll get lost, why don't you be the one to show him around?" Naoto asked.

"That's not a bad idea." Yukiko nodded in response.

"It'd suck to have the kid get toasted, though." Kanji muttered.

"Fine, I'll go with Ikari-kun." Yosuke reluctantly agreed. He turned to Shinji. "Hope you're happy."

"Sorry." Shinji apologized, trying not to meet his gaze.

"I'll go with Shinji too." Kaworu said.

"I suppose I'll have to as well, given I'm supposed to be protecting the weaponless freak." Asuka said, sighing and shrugging.

"Alright, you're set. Rise-chan, go with them. They'll need your help more than any of us. Yukiko, go with Chie. Teddie and Kanji, come with me."

"Whoo-hoo! More adventuring!" Teddie cheered.

"Fine with us. C'mon, Yukiko. We'll go to the middle floors." Chie said.

"We'll stay on the bottom levels. Since you have Rise-chan with you, Shinji-kun, you go straight to the top. Yosuke-senpai can take you there."

"Right, right. Let's get going." Yosuke sighed and began to walk further past the gate and into the dungeon. Shinji and the others followed.

"Good luck. Rise-chan, call us if you find it. We'll contact you if we find it." Naoto told Rise before heading off in the opposite direction with Teddie and Kanji.

Shinji stared into the blissful paradise that was Heaven. It was too perfect for words.

"Don't get too stuck on it. Shadows live here too." Yosuke warned him.

And thus, the hunt was on.

**To be continued.**


	9. VIII

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: My sincerest apologies for the hiatus. There was work and life distracting me from this story but hopefully I can get back on track. I appreciate the support I'm receiving from reviewers and people adding the story to alert/favorite lists. Thank you very much. Your comments and criticism are valued and taken into consideration, though they probably won't change the content of past chapters through chapter 13. Thanks!  
_

_**Disclaimer**: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX.  
_

* * *

**EIGHT: Heaven Summons Death**

**April 19****th****, 2012**

**Afternoon/Evening**

**Weather: ????**

It was an eerily calm place within a twisted world.

Occasionally, Shinji would hear Rise's voice occasionally warning them of incoming enemies and nearby items that Yosuke would pick up. Shinji had a feeling that Yosuke could only hear Rise's voice, but no one else's. He wore his headphones good and tight around his ears. He wondered what he was listening to so intently, and why. Did music help him? Shinji made a mental note to bring his own Mp3 player in next time, if there was a next time.

Despite the fact that Rise was about ten feet behind them the whole time, it sounded like she was all around them. Shinji had to assume that was her Persona's power. She couldn't fight like everyone else, but instead she gave help from the sidelines. It was something equally good.

"Incoming shadow!" Rise called out.

Two eagle-like creatures swooped down from the sky baring orange masks upon their faces.

"Looks like they're able to block wind, senpai." Rise warned Yosuke.

"Crap." Yosuke hissed as he leapt at one of the eagles with his kunai, ripping through one of their wings.

"I've got it~" Asuka said with a smirk. "Persona!" she called out, breaking the blue card before her with a swing of her new hatchet.

The light generated the red-cloaked Mary Magdalene behind her, holding out her hands and generating a small flame.

"Agi!" Asuka yelled, the fire from her Persona's hands sweeping off toward the eagle Yosuke had struck before. It was a direct and critical hit. The Eagles were weak to fire.

"Whoa, nice guess." Rise sounded somewhat impressed. "Keep going!" she cheered.

"Agi!" Asuka yelled again, another spit of fire rising from her Persona and striking the other Eagle straight down to the floor. Both were limping and unable to fight back.

"Get 'em!" Asuka called out, rushing in to chop them to pieces with her weapon. Kaworu and Yosuke followed, while the weaponless Shinji watched from afar with awe. Kaworu swung his scythe through the first; chopping it directly in half before having it vanish into a puff of black smoke. A black liquid stuck to the blade of his scythe as he pulled it back toward him. Kaworu examined it for a moment before looking up to see Yosuke finish off the other Eagle.

"Good as done." Yosuke nodded. "Let's keep going."

"How close are we to the top?" Asuka whined loudly, frowning.

"We're halfway there." Yosuke told her, her shrill voice able to penetrate his distracting music. "Stay focused." he told the others, trying to act somewhat like a responsible leader (though he wasn't much of that).

Shinji noticed how the sky had been changing colors as they kept rising from floor to floor. It was beautiful scenery. He wondered how this sort of place came to be. Was it always in this world? He didn't dare to ask now when they had a mission to accomplish.

"How are you holding up?" Kaworu asked Shinji kindly as they began to scale a nearby beanstalk to the next floor.

"Ugh...just fine." Shinji strained as he tried to reach for another vine get himself to climb up further. "You?"

"Dandy." Kaworu nodded as he pushed himself up to the floor above him. As he got up before Shinji, he held out his hand to help his friend onto the floor as well.

"C'mon slowpokes!" Asuka called, already ahead of them with Yosuke.

"Can you sense it now, Rise-chan?" Yosuke asked.

"Mmm...no." Rise tried to scan the area, but no answer came. "I can _feel _that it's here. It's a super powerful presence. More powerful than any Shadow we've faced."

"Even that weird Ameno-something?" Yosuke asked, recalling their final battle against Adachi and the God of fog.

"Ameno-Sagiri." Rise corrected, sounding a bit unsure herself whether or not that was the right name. She usually picked up names of enemies through scanning them. She wasn't sure how that one little part of it worked; it just always came to her. Along with that came their weaknesses and strengths, what they could block, what they could absorb, what they could reflect and so on. Her power had considerably gotten better since when she was rescued last July, especially with Himiko becoming Kanzeon.

"Right, right, Ameno-Sagiri." Yosuke said, clearly apathetic to the correction. "Yeah, not as powerful as that thing, right?" he sounded hopeful that this new being, Shadow or not, would be a piece of cake.

"Um, not quite." Rise tried to focus. "But it doesn't feel like a Shadow. There's something really different about this one. I'm seeing a weird pattern when I try to focus on its energy." Rise explained.

"What sort of pattern?" Shinji asked curiously. '_Not a Shadow? I thought that was the only other kind of being here._'

"Um...it's hard to describe." the former idol sounded very unsure. She sounded very confused and like she was having trouble with it. "It's almost like it's trying to block my scanning. The stats I'm getting on this thing are fuzzy. I only know it's here."

"Shadows never did that before." Yosuke sounded surprised. The group approached another beanstalk. "Up we go."

"Ugh, this is stupid. Couldn't we have just gone to a place where we keep walking through doors and go further into the place instead of going up?" Asuka complained.

"There's no place like that. Every place we've gone to has gone either up or down, not wider." Yosuke said with a small smirk.

"No way!" Asuka sounded upset as she grabbed onto a piece of vine to climb upward.

"Kaworu, are you nervous?" Shinji asked his friend quietly as he began to climb side by side with Kaworu.

"Not really." Kaworu admitted.

"You don't have a Persona, though. You'll be okay, right?" Shinji asked, heavily concerned.

"I told you before, I'll be okay. I have you and Asuka to protect me. And I trust you both." Kaworu smiled sweetly. Shinji blushed at the compliment.

"I don't see how you can trust her though..." Shinji muttered bitterly.

"She's not tolerable like you, but she's strong." Kaworu admitted.

"I can _hear _you!" Asuka yelled down at them as she reached the top. "You're both pathetic! You can't even climb a stupid beanstalk quickly!"

They both reached the top to see Asuka glaring at them. Kaworu chuckled and Shinji averted his gaze.

"C'mon, let's keep going." Yosuke said, trying to make peace. '_Man, I wish I could be traveling with someone I know._'

"You know me, Senpai." Rise said, her voice cheery.

Yosuke grimaced. '_Why can she hear thoughts?_'

"Well, yeah, well..." Yosuke tried to reason, though it was failing. He wanted to fight by Souji's side again. At least he and Souji talked to each other, made jokes and had a great time while fighting Shadows. Sure, they were worried as hell when they were rescuing someone, but the fact that his friend was there helped soothe his nerves. Souji was like the brother he never had.

"I miss Senpai too." Rise whined. "But he's somewhere else, cheering us on." she told more to herself than Yosuke. She was pretty downbeat about not having their former leader there.

"We're also one floor from the tenth level." Rise told the group.

"Finally!" Asuka complained, rushing to a pair of double doors that she hoped would lead to the final beanstalk. In her rush, she didn't see the nearby Shadow that lurked in the few dark areas of the dungeon.

"Whoa! Guys, look out!" Rise screamed, though she warned them too late. A Minotaur IV raced out from its hiding spot, ramming straight into Asuka. Its sheer force knocked the redhead girl off the path and flying into the air. Her scream echoed through the entirety of Heaven as she nearly fell past the path and into oblivion below. Before she could fall into nothingness, Shinji raced to the side of the path and grabbed a hold of her arm with both of his hands, trying to save her.

"Idiot! Don't let go of me!" Asuka screamed in his face.

"I-I'm trying not to!" Shinji yelled back, trying to pull her up. '_Why is she so heavy?_' Shinji inwardly asked, straining to pull her back up.

"H-hey! We need some help!" Yosuke yelled before he noticed what Shinji was doing.

"I need some too!" Shinji yelled back. "Souryu-san's too heavy!"

"What!? I am _not _heavy!" Asuka screeched. "Take that back, you sorry excuse for a man! If you had real upper body strength, you'd pick me up and carry me to the freaking top of this stupid place!"

"Stop it! I'm trying to save your life!" Shinji felt his grip on her arm slip. Her insults weren't helping much either. A petrified look was glued on his face.

"Can you handle that Shadow, Senpai?" Kaworu asked, throwing down his scythe and racing to help Shinji.

"W-wha--hey!" Yosuke yelled out before he realized the Minotaur was rearing its horns at him now. "Shit." he cursed.

It roared as it charged at Yosuke, but the older student was prepared for this. "Susano'O!" he summoned his Persona. "Masukukuja!" he called, a green light enveloping himself and his three teammates. With lightning speed, Yosuke dodged the charging Minotaur and it crashed into the side of the pathway. It let out a roar of anger, its gray mask cracked from impact.

"Tough guy, eh?" Yosuke asked.

"It's got a lot of stamina." Rise told him.

"Hang on, Souryu-san!" Shinji yelled back to Asuka as Kaworu wrapped his hands around Asuka's arm to help her up. The two together managed to pull Asuka up, placing her on the path. She was breathing heavily along with Shinji, while Kaworu seemed completely fine with the matter.

"Are you okay?" Shinji asked.

"NO! Does it _look _like I'm okay, idiot?" Asuka yelled. "I'm mad now! Hey, stupid Minotaur!" Asuka taunted the enemy. It took its gaze off of Yosuke.

"Do you want to get knocked off again?" Shinji asked, glaring at her.

"Shut up!" Asuka shut him down. "Come and get me, pea brain!" the blue card of her Persona appeared in the air as she raised her hatchet to shatter it. "Mary Magdalene!" she yelled out. "Skull Cracker!"

Mary Magdalene raised her hands and thrust them straight into the skull of the enemy, an Earth-shattering crack echoing throughout the area. The Minotaur dissolved into smoke at that strike, the enemy defeated. Mary Magdalene vanished.

"Heh." Asuka smirked. "I'd like to see you do that."

"Chie-chan can do that technique." Yosuke murmured to himself. '_They're similar in more ways than one._'

Shinji was relieved that Asuka was okay, but the girl didn't exactly appreciate his attempt to save her. He sighed quietly, following the group as they continued to search for the beanstalk that would take them to the final floor.

~*~*~

"Bear-sona!" Teddie landed the final blow on an Angry Table somewhere on the bottom floors of Heaven, the icy Bufudyne making the table dissolve.

"Nothing yet?" Naoto asked.

"Nothin'." Kanji answered. "Hey, you sure you did the right thing?" Kanji didn't often question Naoto, but it bothered him that someone like Shinji was told to call the shots when he had just gotten his Persona.

"About electing Shinji-kun?" Naoto asked, a bit surprised to be hearing this from him. "I have no doubt he'll be fine."

"I mean...it's fine, but...I just don't want the guy getting hurt." Kanji mumbled.

"He won't. And if he does, pain delivers another lesson to keep yourself on the defensive." Naoto explained her theory. "He also has Yosuke-senpai with him, remember." Naoto said with a smile.

"Right." Kanji felt nervous with that promise. Yosuke was one of the more powerful Persona users, but honestly, he was a goofball and a klutz.

"Should we start following them up, is what you're truly asking?" Naoto looked at him straight in the eye (which, on Naoto's end, required her to crane her neck upward).

"E-eh? Nah, we don't need to do that." Kanji stumbled on his own words. "They're okay."

"I'm beary nervous, though." Teddie told them both. "They might be in trouble if they can't defeat that thing. I can sense it too, you know." Teddie used to be their support member, after all. "Not as well as I used to, but it's a strong enough presence for even me to notice."

"I see." Naoto's face turned grim. "Then we should start our climb. I believe we stumbled across the way up while defeating Shadows." Naoto recalled where they found the beanstalk before.

'_It's almost like yer trying to take his place._' Kanji thought as they began to search for the beanstalk, referring to Naoto. '_Trying to help us all out, trying to make the plans, trying to trust us more._' he knew Naoto was a smart cookie, but even she couldn't replace Souji. It kept reminding him of the truth: Naoto admired Souji far more than she admired _him_. It was just a small tinge of jealousy on his end.

"Guys, we've reached the top." Rise's voice echoed through the Persona user's heads.

"Wonderful. Be sure to tell us if that thing's there." Naoto replied, smiling.

"A'right!" Kanji cheered.

"Oh, it's definitely here." Rise said, sounding confident. "I can sense it a lot better now that we've gotten up here. If you guys can, starting getting up. We're going to head in, though."

"Not a good plan." Naoto shot back. "With something like this, we all need to be present for it."

"Its power levels are growing, Naoto-kun." Rise warned. "If we weaken it, we can take it all down."

Naoto sighed, glaring at the sky in front of her. She pursed her lips, Kanji and Teddie listening in nervously.

"Fine. We'll make our way up, but if things get rough, get out immediately." Naoto told them.

"We will." Rise said.

"We hear ya." Chie replied from a distance, her voice coming through. "Good luck, guys. We'll be there in no time!"

~*~*~

Standing before the grand doors of the tenth floor, Shinji turned to glance at his teammates.

"Are you ready?" Rise asked them, a rather serious tone to her voice. Shinji nodded, though he felt nausea induced by his nerves.

"Yeah." Shinji wasn't sure if he _was _ready, but it was now or never, right? Yosuke gave Shinji a cautious look, a glance that asked 'are you _really _sure about this'. Shinji bit his lip in response, but nodded again for his senpai to feel confident about his choice.

"Then let's go!" Asuka exclaimed, ready for whatever was ahead.

The four entered the large doors, revealing a long pathway that led to a larger, circular area that marked a dead end. It was a multi-platform podium, where a single figure stood in the center.

The group rushed toward the center, Rise trailing behind at a safe distance to try and analyze it from afar. Kanzeon appeared for a brief moment before Rise shrieked. The figure had turned around to face them, revealing it to be the woman from the Midnight Channel.

"She's--it just blocked my Persona!" Rise screeched.

"What?" Shinji and the others chorused in unison.

"**Your powers are unable to break through.**" the unearthly voice filled the air. The woman's mouth still didn't move with the spoken speech.

"What are you?" Yosuke demanded. "A Shadow?"

"**Shadow...**" it repeated, sounding emotionless and yet confused. "**Mindless beings born from humans are weak, just as mankind is.**"

"W-what?" Asuka asked, stepping back a bit. "What does that mean you cryptic bitch?"

"**Explanation is futile. Resistance will do you no good. Mankind shall fall by our hands, starting with those who try to defend it.**"

"We have to take it down." Kaworu simply stated, glaring at the enemy.

"But even Kujikawa-senpai can't scan it..." Shinji reminded the group.

"We'll have to make do, then." Kaworu didn't even turn to look at the timid leader figure, brandishing his scythe for combat.

"We can probably figure something out. No enemy's invincible." Asuka smirked, swinging her hatchet for practice.

"You can hear this, can't you guys?" Yosuke asked the group from afar.

"No, not really." came the answer of Chie Satonaka.

"Only Rise-chan's input." Yukiko replied.

"Don't get killed, senpai." Kanji stated.

"Thanks, that's real help there." Yosuke grumbled.

The woman stepped forward. Suddenly, her large wings began to harden. They turned from feather to stone, soon cracking and falling to the ground.

"What is it doing?" Shinji asked, horrified.

"Dunno, but this probably isn't going to end up well." Asuka muttered, sharing a bit of Shinji's insecurity.

As the wings finished disintigrating, there was a sudden burst upon the woman's skin as it began to crack as well. Asuka shrieked as the woman's human skin melted off, revealing a very inhuman body underneath. Black skin began to shape itself into a much different figure, both expanding in height and width. Her dark teal hair began to shed, the mask upon her head sliding down to where her human face used to be, taking its place. Tri-pronged claws grew from formerly dainty hands, and gray horns and skeletal pieces began to bubble through its skin and remain there as a sort of armor.

No longer did it appear beautiful. It was a horrid monster.

"Holy..._shit_..." Yosuke's voice cracked, his eyes bolted wide. He hadn't been this frightened since he saw his own Shadow transform from human to monster. He felt faint.

Shinji gasped, his eyes filled with fear shared among the group. He had never seen anything like this before. It had grown to a much larger size, though big enough that they could still see all the details upon it.

"Oh my God..." Rise panicked. "C-can you do it, guys?"

"Don't lose doubt in us so quickly, Rise-senpai." Kaworu said with a smirk. He was truly unfazed.

"Kaworu..." Shinji looked to his friend, scared like everyone else.

"It may look intimidating, but it may not be as powerful as it looks." Kaworu reminded the others. "We can take it down."

"Y-yeah! You said it, pale-face!" for once, Asuka agreed with the guy. She had to be strong!

"Hope you guys are on your way. This thing does not look like it'll be taken down easily." Yosuke spoke to Rise and the others that were still ascending through the dungeon.

As the being had finished generating itself, it moved to glance down at the four who stood before it.

"**I...am an Angel.**" the voice still sounded the same, though it was far much louder than before. "**Do not hold hope that your kind will survive.** **Judgment shall fall upon **_**all **_**of you.**"

"Damn, it sounds serious." Yosuke muttered.

"Judgment? We're not gonna die just like that, you ugly thing!" Asuka yelled back up at it.

"Hey, guys." Rise gasped as she detected something through Kanzeon.

"What's up, Rise-chan?" Yosuke asked.

"Um, it's sorta bad and good news. Good news is I think I can get information about it, but the bad news is that I can't do that without you guys doing something first." Rise explained.

"What do you need us to do?" Shinji asked, curious.

"I'm detecting some kind of force field around this thing. It's preventing me from scanning it. Maybe if you guys can get through it, I can get info on it." Rise told them.

"A force field?" Shinji asked, surprised.

"Less talk, more ass-kicking, please." Asuka grunted before she raced toward the Angel, ready to swing her axe.

"HIYAAAAAH!" she cried, prepared to strike the Angel and break the surface of its new skin. However, the force field that was mentioned suddenly generated in a flash, an orange hexagon blocking the axe, bouncing it back and sending Asuka to land on her butt.

"Dammit..." she cursed.

"**Man-made weapons are as pathetic as mankind itself.**" the Angel's voice boomed as it raised a clawed arm and pointed it toward Asuka. A light began to generate from the hand, almost like it was ready to fire something straight at her...

"Look out!" Shinji saw it and tried to warn her, but the attack was far too quick for him.

A laser was fired straight at Asuka. She screamed and scrambled out of the way, though she was nicked by it. The laser burned her elbow and knee, the parts of her body it scraped against. She tripped and yelled out in pain.

"Souryu-san!" Shinji yelled. "Job!" he screamed his Persona's name, feeling a slightly different power come to mind. "Dia!"

A healing light began to flow from Job's hands as he raised them toward Asuka, the light taking away some of the pain caused by the attack.

"Thanks." Asuka grumbled as she got up. "Stupid thing. That laser's nasty."

"How do we get through that force field?" Shinji asked, staring up at the Angel.

"Try using your Persona." Kaworu suggested.

"Just about to try that." as Yosuke said that, Susano'O appeared and began to summon gusts of wind. A Garudyne made its way toward the Angel and struck the field in front of it. As the wind attack struck, the field began to crack slightly.

"Alright!" Shinji and Yosuke cheered.

"Keep going, guys!" Rise encouraged.

"Garu!" Shinji yelled out, sending Job to strike the field further. More wind penetrated it, cracking it further and further.

"It's really thick..." Shinji muttered.

"Skull cracker!" Asuka yelled as Mary Magdalene raced from her side to land a powerful physical blow onto the field. It cracked further.

They continued to send continuous attacks to the field, and the Angel did nothing in response. The field kept cracking, but it never broke.

"Why isn't it gone yet?" Yosuke complained after his third Garudyne.

"I dunno!" Rise complained, panic in her voice.

"**Do not attempt to escape your fate.**" the Angel spoke again as it raised its arm again, this time aimed at Kaworu.

"Get outta the way!" Yosuke called to him.

Kaworu did not budge. He glared at the Angel with intense eyes, suddenly lowering his weapon.

"What are you doing, freak?" Asuka demanded, unsure of why he wasn't defending himself.

'_Is this the way this must be?_' Kaworu thought, lowering his gaze for a moment. The Angel continued to charge, the light growing more and more intense in its claws.

"KAWORU!" Shinji yelled, trying to get him to move. '_What do I do? I have to get him out of the way!_'

But before Shinji could move, an aura appeared around the white-haired boy. A familiar blue card appeared from nowhere, and all three team members gasped.

"No way!" Yosuke yelled.

"What's this new power I'm sensing?" Rise asked. "I-is that Kaworu-san?"

"What the hell? When did _you _get one!?" Asuka asked, realizing what was going on.

"Persona." Kaworu's voice was calm, as it always was, never yelling out a command with force. He broke the card with his open hand. It shattered and light generated behind him, generating the form of a new Persona. A metallic-like orb appeared, displaying various symbols and pictorials. Upon the orb was half of a male human body, starting from the waist up. The figure was also made of the same chrome-like material that made up the orb below it. From the man's back extruded six very large wings that resembled those of a seraph. The eyes of the figure of Kaworu's Persona were glowing a bright yellow, with no pupils visible at all.

"**I****,**** am Tabris.**" a new voice echoed through the area.

"Tabris..." Shinji repeated the new name, his eyes wide. "You had a Persona all along, didn't you, Kaworu?" he asked quietly.

The laser from the Angel was fired, and Kaworu was ready.

"Bufu." Kaworu commanded, a blast of sheer cold sweeping past the laser and colliding with the force field. With that strike, the force field shattered and the laser hit Kaworu straight on. He was pushed back into a nearby pedestal, yelling out in pain.

"Nagisa-san!" Yosuke yelled out. "Diarama!" he used his only healing technique before Shinji could, knowing it would heal him more.

"U-ugh..." Kaworu was especially weak to a light-based attack, he found. The healing move got him back onto his feet, but just barely.

"The field's gone!" Rise shouted. "I'm scanning the enemy now!"

Kanzeon appeared and Rise gasped as information finally came to her.

"Sachiel." Rise spoke the Angel's name, glaring straight at it. "Arcana is Judgement. Doesn't seem to have a weakness, but light and dark skills won't be effective."

"Thanks." Yosuke thanked Rise as he stood before the giant Angel with the others, ready to beat it up.

"Let's take this guy down!" he yelled as Susano'O reappeared, generating another Garudyne.

"**Die.**" Sachiel spoke again as it released three smaller lasers at Yosuke. Each laser had taken the shape of a cross, striking the areas to the left and right of Yosuke.

"Gah..." Yosuke was hit, the lasers cutting through the cloth of his sleeves and creating scars on his arms. Blood was drawn.

"Garu!" Shinji yelled, ready to attack. A weaker wind attack struck and did minimal damage, but damage nonetheless. Sachiel turned on Shinji. Instead of bothering to charge up a laser, it thrust its claws in his direction.

"AAH!" Shinji was hit, the sharp weapon-like claws nearly ripping through his skin.

"Dammit, you stupid Angel, WHY WON'T YOU DIE?" Asuka screamed, Mary Magdalene firing multiple blasts of fire. Each hit, and the Angel screeched.

"Bufu! Keep going, it's losing balance!" Kaworu called out, ice shooting from Tabris' wings.

"**Die. Die. Die.**" Sachiel kept speaking with its emotionless voice, more lasers firing from the palm of its "hand". The cross lasers struck each team member, throwing them back.

"Damn it..." Yosuke grunted, gripping his kunai. He was losing more and more energy. He was nearly clean of the power to use such things like Garudyne. He had to use his weapons eventually. He raced to Sachiel, hoping to draw blood with the sharp edge of his kunai. Following Yosuke's idea, Asuka thrust her hatchet into the abdomen of the Angel.

Both weapons broke through its skin, blue blood squirting out at the sharp edge's contact. Sachiel screeched.

"Come, Tabris..." Kaworu muttered. "Single Shot!"

Tabris released a blast of physical power, piercing through the Angel's flesh.

"**Our duty will be realized.**" Sachiel's voice sounded strained, though still emotionless. "**Defeat me, and more will come. Each will be stronger than the last.** **One will be rid of all of you.**"

"Then let them come." Kaworu hissed coldly. "We were born to combat you."

"Bash!" Shinji yelled out, Job rising to strike Sachiel with a powerful blow. Striking in the center of the Angel's body, Sachiel finally toppled over.

"Get 'em!" Asuka yelled out, rushing to chop Sachiel further with her hatchet. Yosuke followed with several more physical blows via Susano'O's Brave Blade. The razor ring around Susano'O raked over Sachiel's black skin, staining the entire body with blue blood. The Angel's screeches filled the air. It was nearly done.

Kaworu swung his scythe, knocking away the mask upon Sachiel's "face". It cracked and shattered against a pedestal, knocking it over in the process. With a final swing, Kaworu cut the flesh beneath. The loudest sound of agony shrilled through the air, and the other team members backed off for a moment to cover their ears.

"Damn, that thing is LOUD!" Asuka complained. But as she said that, Sachiel's body began to dissolve. It didn't disappear into a puff of black smoke like Shadows, but it began to disappear with trails of multi-colored light. And in an instant, the large Angel's body was gone.

As Sachiel was defeated, the rest of the group ran in, gasping for breath. Seeing no enemy there, but the group exhausted, worry began to rush over them.

"Did you defeat it? What was it?" Naoto asked, gasping between each question.

"It called itself an Angel." Shinji answered, wiping his forehead.

"Not quite sure what it _was_, though." Asuka answered, disgust all over her face. Blue blood stuck to her hands and clothes.

"We beat it, though." Yosuke sighed with relief. "It was really freaky, though." Yosuke shivered.

"You guys must have done a number on it. I could hear really loud screams from down below." Chie cringed.

"It's a shame I didn't see it." Naoto muttered.

"Don't hold your breath. That thing said more were going to come." Yosuke explained.

"What do you mean?" Naoto questioned.

"It said, "defeat me and more will come. Each will be stronger than the last"." Shinji repeated what the Angel had spoken.

"More? More of what?" Kanji asked, horrified.

"Angels." Kaworu answered. "That's what it called itself. And you said it was named Sachiel, Rise-san." Kaworu explained.

"That's right. Sachiel." Rise nodded.

"We can talk about this more later. It's getting late in the real world." Yukiko commented. "I need to call Souji about this."

"What good is that going to do?" Chie asked.

"Sensei can help us out." Teddie commented. "He always had the answer."

"Regardless of whether or not we're getting outside help, senpai is right. We must return to Inaba." Naoto agreed with Yukiko. "We will talk about this on Sunday, when we all have time to discuss it."

"Right." the group agreed on that, giving each other glances.

The group began to disperse, talking amongst other people. Shinji watched as many talked with one another briefly as Rise kept scanning the area.

Shinji noticed Kaworu out of the group, seeing him stare at the spot where Sachiel had fallen.

"What's wrong, Kaworu?" Shinji asked, seeing he was so focused on that particular spot.

"That was...the third." Kaworu muttered, his voice almost inaudible.

"Huh?" Shinji asked, his smile melting into a confused frown.

"Hm?" Kaworu turned to Shinji and confusion appeared on his face as well. "Did I say something?"

"Er..." Shinji began. "You said something about "the third"."

"Did I? Huh..." Kaworu weakly smiled.

Rise waved her arm. "Okay! We're ready to go!"

In an instant, the group warped out of Heaven and back to the lobby of the TV World. Back into the yellow world of corruption.

"Dammit, I was so used to such a nice looking place and now we're back _here_...bleck..." Asuka's eyes had to adjust to the bright yellow surroundings after that experience.

"Ready to go back?" Yosuke asked Shinji, glancing back his way before he stepped into the TV to warp back to Inaba. Shinji nodded, but scanned Yosuke's cut and bleeding arms.

"Will you be okay?" Shinji asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'll be fine. My Persona helps me heal faster." Yosuke told Shinji. "Yours will do the same for you."

With that, Yosuke stepped through. Asuka and Kaworu followed, along with the rest. Teddie and Shinji remained.

"Coming, Shinji-kun?" Teddie asked with his carefree smile.

"Yeah." Shinji said, trying to smile back. He followed the bear through the TV.

~*~*~

**April 19****th****, 2012**

**Evening**

**Weather: Rainy**

The rain wouldn't let up that night.

In the Central Shopping District, the gas attendant once again worked on late duty. She stared into the sky, where lightning dueled with nearby clouds for space. Thunder crackled and she frowned.

"The third angel is dead."

**To be continued.**

* * *

_NOTE_: _Larger angels (example: Sachiel) are significantly scaled down from their original size. Also, the human appearance of Sachiel was designed by GAINAX's Angel Chromosome XX series._


	10. IX

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: More blah blah blah here. More action coming soon. The Yosuke/Chie part is explained in a side-story I'm going to post right after I post this chapter. Enjoy._

_**Disclaimer**: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX. I've accepted that I can never write awesomeness like the mentioned series, but I'll try my best._

_

* * *

_**NINE: The Hanged Men**

**April 20****th****, 2012**

**Early Morning**

**Weather: Rainy**

He woke to the sound of crashing thunder.

Shinji was sound asleep until the morning came. The battle yesterday had wiped him out cold. The moment he got home after returning from the TV World, he felt he was going to collapse from exhaustion. His muscles begged him not to move from the bed, but upon seeing the red numbers on his clock, he realized he had to get ready for school. Forcing himself off the comfortable bed and onto his feet, he cringed.

That Angel really hit him hard.

"Ow..." Shinji muttered as he trudged to the nearby mirror, looking at his reflection. A couple of bruises had developed over his bare chest, and a couple of small gashes raked across his stomach. But as Yosuke had told him, they were quickly vanishing. He placed a hand on his chest, near his heart.

'_So it's Persona that's making me heal faster?_' Shinji questioned. He had heard he couldn't summon his Persona in the real world, or rather, the world outside the strange TV realm. He turned away from the mirror after hearing another clash of thunder, going as fast as he could to get his uniform on and get downstairs to grab food. Much to his dismay, Gendo was present in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Father." Shinji meekly tried to indicate his presence.

"Morning." Gendo didn't bother to glance at the boy. He sat at the table, idly drinking coffee and staring at the local Inaba newspaper. Shinji glanced at his attire. He had never seen his dad in the Junes uniform. It looked a bit goofy on him, but Shinji was afraid to even chuckle.

The yellow Junes apron over a simple white, long-sleeved shirt was definitely not his father's style. Shinji didn't look back at Gendo as he began to pack his lunch.

"I'm going." Shinji told Gendo as he grabbed his umbrella and belongings.

He was out the door, and Gendo didn't reply. He just continued to sit and read the newspaper.

~*~*~

"You're an idiot!"

"W-why am I the idiot?"

Yukiko sighed as she watched Chie and Yosuke get into another argument. Even with Souji gone, they still bickered like a married couple. It was too early in the morning for this kind of treatment. She stared out the window, watching the storm with little interest. Lightning burst through clouds every so often. She would be mesmerized by something like a storm if she hadn't seen so much of it in the TV World. Kanji knew how to throw down powerful electric power.

"Didn't Naoto-kun say you'd get hurt if you went in alone?" Chie asked, pointing her index finger straight into the boy's face. His eyes widened and he appeared to be cornered by the smaller (yet more powerful) woman.

"She didn't say that! Look, we got rid of it. That's all that matters. Why the hell are _you _revved up about it? You're completely fine!" Yosuke yelled back to her.

Chie slapped the boy in the face and turned to the classroom door in a huff. She stomped past Kozo Fuyutsuki on the way out, her angry mutterings inaudible.

"What's wrong with Satonaka-san?" Fuyutsuki asked, watching her go by.

"She's being difficult." Yosuke muttered, folding his arms in front of his chest and staring at the floor like a spoiled child.

"Don't worry about this, Fuyutsuki-sensei. They fight all the time." Yukiko tried to keep the teacher out of it.

"I see." Fuyutsuki still seemed very shocked at what he witnessed. "By the way, Amagi-san, are you familiar with Shinji Ikari?"

"Hm? Um, who?" Yukiko didn't recall the name. Her habit of constantly forgetting the names of men was still with her, even a year later.

"I know him, sensei." Yosuke said, looking back up.

"Ah yes, that's right. Does he work at Junes with you?" Fuyutsuki asked. Yosuke shook his head.

"Nope. But he's in class 1-2 if you're looking for him." Yosuke tried to be polite though he was in a fussy mood.

"Thank you. But for now, that can wait." Fuyutsuki faintly smiled, but it vanished before either Yosuke or Yukiko could catch a glimpse. "Now that you two are here together, I do have a matter I wish to speak with you about."

"What is it?" both Yosuke and Yukiko asked.

"Your past pop quiz grade." Fuyutsuki suddenly frowned.

The two students grimaced.

~*~*~

**April 20****th****, 2012**

**Noon**

**Weather: Rainy**

"Don't tell me I wasn't the only one who couldn't get myself out of bed this morning..." Asuka mumbled across the desk to Shinji and Kaworu, clearly drained of energy.

"It was difficult, but it seems like we weren't that badly injured." Kaworu remarked. "Most of the bruises are gone, at least on my account."

"No way! I'm still black and blue from head to toe!" Asuka complained. She stuffed her face with a rice ball before speaking again.

"It was a tough opponent, but we sure kicked its ass good!" Asuka cheered.

"Is it another one of those monsters?"

"Oh, Ayanami-san." Shinji saw the teal-haired girl over Asuka's shoulder and she sat down.

"Who invited you?" Asuka grumbled. Rei ignored her.

"Did you go back to that world?" Rei asked excitedly.

"Yeah." Shinji replied with a small smile. Rei grinned.

"What did you beat this time? More of those weird creatures?" Rei asked, both anxious and excited.

"Something much worse than that, actually." Shinji explained.

"It called itself an Angel." Kaworu replied. "Sachiel."

"Sachiel?" Rei asked, taking interest. "Weird name." Rei sucked from a juice box she held.

"Not as weird as _what _it was." Asuka continued. "It was this weird monstrous _thing _that kept shooting random light beams at us. And it kept going on and on about destroying mankind and pointless bullshit." she explained, proceeding with munching more of her food.

"I don't think it's pointless." Shinji muttered.

"Eh?" Asuka asked, glancing at him.

"Shouldn't we take its threat a bit more seriously?" he asked meekly, still haunted by the warning the Angel issued.

"Um...I guess?" Asuka asked, unsure.

"Shinji's right." Kaworu nodded. "Despite the fact that we took it down quickly, it certainly proved itself to be a powerful opponent. And since it stated that others like it may come, we may be in for something worse." Kaworu's expression turned grim. Rei gulped.

"Geez, what have you guys gotten yourself into?" Rei asked.

"It's not so bad." Asuka said with a smirk. "I betcha we'll get rid of anything like it!" she bragged.

"Pride is often blinding." Kaworu whispered to Shinji. Shinji chuckled slightly and Asuka glared.

"Oy. I have ears." Asuka grunted.

"I wish I could help somehow." Rei said, staring down from the eye line of Shinji. "But I don't have a power like you guys do."

"We thought Kaworu didn't either until yesterday." Shinji explained.

"Eh? You have one, Nagisa-san?" Rei asked, surprised.

"I do, yes." Kaworu's smile returned.

"How did you get it? Did you face yourself like Souryu-san did?" Rei asked.

"I'm not quite sure, actually." Kaworu explained. "My mind is a bit fuzzy." he scratched the back of his head, his gaze directed to the ceiling.

"I don't think you want to get involved, Ayanami-san." Shinji told Rei.

"Huh? Why?" Rei asked.

"We got really hurt when we faced that Angel. And if Kaworu didn't have a Persona, he'd be even more injured than he is now. Hana--Yosuke-senpai said that our Personas help us heal faster." Shinji explained.

"Really?" Asuka was shocked to hear that news. She hadn't been informed.

"That's interesting." Rei said with vague interest. She didn't seem too convinced.

"What he's saying is that he doesn't want you to get hurt." Kaworu put it in blunt words.

"Oh. Well." Rei blushed at his concern. Asuka's grip on her chopsticks tightened for a moment.

The bell sounded and Asuka stood up.

"Tomorrow's Sunday, so we're meeting up with those older guys, right?" Asuka asked the boys.

"That's right." Shinji replied.

"Good, good. Then I won't be seeing you anytime for the rest of the day." Asuka smirked. "Good news for me." she then left the classroom, leaving the others to pack up their lunch.

"Does she have to be so mean?" Shinji asked, leaning on his desk. Kaworu chuckled.

"Maybe." Kaworu pat Shinji on the shoulder before sitting down at his own desk.

"Don't worry about her, Ikari-kun. She's like that with everybody, I think. And I also think she's trying to keep her confidence, after what happened and all." Rei guessed, sitting at her own desk and grabbing her messy notebook. Doodles covered every sheet of lined paper in her grasp.

"Mm. Maybe." Shinji tuned her out after hearing that, his eyes glancing up to see Kashiwagi come into the classroom with a rather irritated look on her face.

"Alright you brats, get ready for your next lesson."

~*~*~

**April 20****th****, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Cloudy**

She loved the roof because no one went there after school.

Chie stood near the fence that surrounded the top, her fingers laced between the wires that blocked her from the edge of the building. She wasn't one to be pensive or angst-ridden, but she was in a horrible mood after what had happened yesterday.

"He's an idiot for going in there." Chie hissed under her breath.

"Chie?"

She turned around to see that idiot behind her, a rare serious look on his face.

"Don't you have work?" she turned away from him and glared into the distance.

"Today's one of my workdays off." Yosuke replied, approaching her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What the hell is wrong with _you_?" Chie spun around, her legs arched and ready for a critical hit. Yosuke cringed and backed off.

"Look, I'm sorry! Whatever I did, I--"

"Roll up your sleeves." Chie demanded.

"W-what?" Yosuke asked, backing up another step.

"_I said_, roll up your damn sleeves! Or do I have to do it for you?"

Without another question, Yosuke grumbled something as he rolled up the sleeves of his uniform. Chie sighed irritably at the sight.

Large gashes remained on the muscles of his arms, raking from the shoulder to the very rim of the hand. The sleeves covered it up perfectly, but he had been exposed.

"I was protecting them you know. I only did what I'd do for you or Yukiko-chan or anyone else on the team." Yosuke explained, glaring back at her. It was tough for even him to say. Yosuke wasn't a noble man. He was very far from that.

"Why didn't you just wait for us, idiot?" Chie asked. "Because you wanted to show them you're strong without us? That you could protect them?"

"I..." Yosuke started, but couldn't finish.

"Your stupid pride got in the way?" Chie demanded an answer.

"You'd have done the same thing, wouldn't you? You, or Kanji-kun, or Naoto-kun..."

"No." Chie shook her head. "You just don't want another leader but Souji-kun."

Chie raised her hand to cup Yosuke's cheek, her stern glare piercing his eyes.

"So what? Think I'm gonna let that _kid _take his place?" Yosuke grumbled, referring to Shinji. "Just because he's...he's able to do what Souji-kun did..."

"He's a wuss." Chie said bluntly.

"Huh?" Yosuke looked back down at her.

"Yeah, he's a wuss. He can't pick up a freaking _practice _katana. He's definitely not Souji-kun. But guess what, Yosuke? Neither are you." Chie pointed out.

Yosuke sighed, averting his eyes from the green-garbed girl.

"If we had to pick from our team, none of us could measure up to Souji Seta. He was the guy who brought us all together. But even though this new guy's a pansy, he brought two new Persona users with him. It's more than a sign." Chie explained. "Even Naoto-kun thinks so."

"You think?" Yosuke's voice lost its harsh tone as he kept his eyes locked with hers.

"It'll take a long freaking while, but he'll come around. And if he doesn't prove to be a leader, we'll boost his spirits, just like Souji boosted ours." Chie smiled. Yosuke sighed, closing his eyes and dipping his head towards hers.

"I don't know." Yosuke still wouldn't agree with that. Shinji wasn't Souji, and Souji was his leader. His best friend. His brother from another mother.

"I'll whip him into shape." Chie said with a smirk. "A wussy boy like him needs some of my training."

Yosuke laughed nervously, somewhat amused by her expression.

"Are you serious? Good luck with that." Yosuke's nervous laugh continued and Chie took a couple steps back from him.

"It'll all work out. I know it will." Chie told him. "And if not, well, we'll kick ass and take names!"

"I suppose." Yosuke nodded and smiled weakly.

"Now." Chie approached him once again, standing on her tiptoes and nearing his face. Yosuke's eyes widened and his cheeks turned very pink as she neared him.

"Y-yeah, Chie?" Yosuke asked, a crooked smile on his face.

"Buy me some dinner. Steak sounds good!" Chie said with an innocent smile as she fell back onto her flat feet and rushed back to the roof door, leaving Yosuke to breathe in the moment.

"W-WHAT!?"

~*~*~

After school, Shinji went to the shopping district.

He had heard of a good little shop that sold things like ointment for soothing pain. He had run out at home. He ventured into the southern half of the shopping district, walking past the Weaponry store and Marukyu Tofu. It was when he reached the bookstore when he saw something very peculiar.

A floating blue door sat next to the bookstore, suspended without a building attached to it. Shinji watched as people walked right by, not even glancing at it. Was he the only one who could see it? Shinji approached it slowly, suddenly noticing a large lock below the doorknob.

'_The key..._' Shinji recalled the Velvet Room key he received from Igor. He reached into his pocket and drew it out. The key was made of a strange crystal-like material that glimmered, even in the cloudy afternoon. He lifted it towards the lock and slipped it through, turning the key to open the door. With a click, the door opened. Shinji stepped through, and everything suddenly went white.

In an instant, he was sitting back in the limo where he had been only twice before.

"Welcome once again, visitor." Igor said with his crafty smile. "I see you have stumbled upon the entrance."

"Y-yeah." Shinji said, trying to smile for the long-nosed man.

"Now, how may I be of service?" Igor asked.

"I want to know...about that power. My power." Shinji hesitated to bring up.

"Well, I cannot say much." Igor said with delight. "However, I can tell you that I will be of great help to you as your power becomes considerably greater. As you travel through a strange world, you will encounter many enemies. These foes will be both easy and challenging to bring down, but with your power and the power of your allies, they will be defeated."

Igor gestured to the Woman in Blue. She lifted her head up and rubbed the large book in her lap.

"This is the Compendium." she stated officially. "This is where all of your Personas created are stored and recorded. My master fuses them for you as you proceed along through your journey, and I will keep them here until you need them." she explained.

"Okay..." Shinji nodded, looking more at the woman than the large book.

"I'm afraid I cannot be of more service." Igor said, still grinning. It almost seemed like he never frowned.

"However, I do have a new Persona for you." he lifted up another blue card, allowing it to float from his grasp to Shinji's hand. Shinji peered down at it, seeing the picture of a new creature that was greatly different from Job. With a burst, the card shattered and revealed a snowman-like creature in a strange blue hat.

"Hee-ho!" the creature danced. "I'm Jack Frost, hee-ho!"

"Heh..." Shinji tried to stop a laugh as he watched Jack Frost dance around the limo before it vanished.

"He was born from your soul, you know. As are other Persona that you will be given." Igor explained.

'_My soul?_' Shinji asked, glancing down at the card that reappeared in his hands. "Can I still use Job?"

"Of course, though he may become much weaker in time. As enemies grow stronger, your Personas will need to match that strength. Your power is considerably different from those around you."

"I see." Shinji nodded. "Thank you!" he thanked as he stood up. Upon standing up, he bashed his head on the limo roof. "Ow..." he arched back down to protect himself.

"Be careful." the Woman in Blue advised as his surroundings turned white once again.

He reappeared in the shopping district.

Shinji looked around and saw the door. It hadn't vanished. It would be there waiting for him if he needed help.

~*~*~

**April 21****st****, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Sunny**

"Are we all present?" Naoto asked as the group sat at the largest table the Junes Food Court could offer.

"If you're not here, say I." Kanji joked with a laugh.

"Hilarious." Naoto rolled her eyes. "Anyway..."

"I'm thirsty! Can someone bring me a soda?" Asuka whined, leaning back in her chair.

"Ooh, make that two." Rise said with interest.

"Guys!" Naoto had to yell to get everyone's attention.

"Yeah, what's up Naoto-kun?" Rise asked with a smile.

"This is the first time we've come here to our Secret Base without Senpai. Can we at least discuss what happened so we can actually figure something out?" Naoto asked.

"Maybe in the next century." Yosuke bitterly muttered. Chie punched him in the shoulder and Teddie chuckled as Yosuke reacted.

"Chie-chan knows how to keep everyone under control~" Teddie chuckled. The blond bear-turned-human glanced over at Asuka and smirked. Asuka glanced back and punched the bear in the chest.

"Owwww..." Teddie whined.

"Souryu-san, you shouldn't have..." Shinji began, but Asuka interrupted.

"He was looking at me with that perverted look of his." Asuka folded her arms and looked away.

"Kaworu-kun, is it?" Naoto looked at Kaworu, the only member of the group who didn't seem to be distracted.

"Yes?" Kaworu replied, looking at the former detective with interest.

"Can you please tell us the details of what occurred while combating this creature? The Angel?" Naoto had heard from everyone what it was called. She had to be resourceful that way.

"Hm." Kaworu had to recall most of the details. He knew what happened, but nothing too specific. "I believe it appeared as that woman we saw on the Midnight Channel. But it turned into the Angel after we exchanged words." Kaworu remembered the Angel had talked to them. Shinji nodded.

"And then there was a force field..." Shinji recalled.

"And it didn't break until this freak over here finally revealed that he wasn't pathetic." Asuka said.

"So you do have a Persona." Naoto gave Kaworu a stern look. Kaworu nodded with his carefree smile.

"I do." Kaworu explained.

"Alright, so I suppose you'll be coming along with us if this happens again." Naoto nodded.

"It might." Kaworu warned. "It told us as such."

"What do you mean?" Naoto asked.

"It said more would come, stronger ones." Shinji couldn't remember the exact phrasing, but it was something along those lines.

"That's not good." Naoto said, her eyes falling on the table surface.

"We have another case on our hands now, don't we?" Rise asked.

"Not exactly a "case"." Naoto said. "But a battle."

"What if it turns into a case?" Yukiko asked.

"Unless humans are specifically involved with this, I doubt that a case will develop." Naoto didn't want to think about her talk with Adachi, but it continued to haunt her. Was what he said true? That the pieces hadn't been picked up quite entirely?

"I hope people won't get thrown in again." Teddie murmured quietly, his eyes filling up with sadness.

"Don't worry Ted, I don't think that's gonna happen." Yosuke said with a small grin.

"Don't say 'don't', Senpai." Kanji muttered. "We gotta be careful."

Kanji thought of their trip to see Adachi as well.

'_Gotta stick around and talk with Naoto about that. Maybe that sick bastard was right about it not bein' over._' he grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

"We'll keep a sharp eye on the Midnight Channel." Naoto concluded. "It looks like it will be clear tonight, but watch the weather."

"Are we done? I want some soda." Asuka said, raising her hand like she was in class.

Naoto sighed. "Yes, we're done, but..."

"I've got to help gran at the tofu shop." Rise said, standing up. "Sorry, but I promised I'd go after the meeting." she raced off.

The members of the meeting parted, leaving Naoto to sit at the table alone. Kanji hadn't left either, but he went off to the vendor to grab a soda for the both of them. He handed one to Naoto without a word.

"Kanji-kun..." Naoto looked up at the taller boy with a surprised look.

"You're trying your best, ya know?" Kanji didn't look her in the eye but kept talking. "It's tough when we don't have Senpai to help us."

Naoto smiled as she gingerly sipped her soda. "Thank you."

"So, uh..." Kanji tried to think of something else to talk about.

"I want to go on an interrogation." Naoto stated out of the blue. "I want to find out who started the rumor about the Midnight Channel, and how they found about it."

"Uh, well..." Kanji grasped at straws. '_She's real stubborn._'

"Dammit, why is this happening?" Naoto glared at the table surface, nearly knocking over soda when she punched the table.

"Chill!" Kanji yelled at her, his eyes wide.

"Sorry." Naoto apologized quickly as she took a deeper gulp of soda.

"This isn't just gonna solve itself. We've gotta work together." Kanji told her.

"You're right." Naoto nodded. She chuckled. "I'm acting quite foolish." she nodded. "Perhaps because my birthday is coming up."

"Your birthday?" Kanji's interest was piqued.

"The twenty-seventh of April. It means nothing, though." Naoto said with a sad-looking smile. Kanji's heart raced.

"H-how old are you..." he began to ask.

"Seventeen." Naoto answered.

'_Holy shit! Is she serious!?_' Kanji didn't realize how old she was. She was going to be a _whole year older _than him!

"Why didn't you tell everybody else?" Kanji asked.

"Because that's not important right now." Naoto explained. "Birthdays and such are only trivial. This creature, this Angel, is a possible threat to mankind. If it is bent on destroying humans, my birthday doesn't matter in the least." Naoto explained.

Kanji wondered if she felt sad about it. She didn't act like it, but Naoto often put herself before others. His face turned red.

"Yeah, you're right." Kanji muttered. He truly didn't agree with her, but he couldn't get himself to disagree with her to her face.

"Hm." Naoto grunted before finishing the last of her soda.

"I might go take a walk." Naoto said quietly, slipping her coat on and pushing her chair in as she stood.

"Oh, sure." Kanji managed to say, watching her go. "See ya."

"See you later." Naoto bid goodbye and walked off, taking her empty can with her.

Kanji sat alone at the table, contemplating.

"You don't have to say shit like that." he muttered bitterly. '_I'll get her something._' he decided, standing up and taking his can with him. He recycled it and began to walk back home to start working on her birthday gift.

**To be continued.**

* * *

_NOTE: I've found Naoto is a tough character to write for, despite the fact that I really love her character. _


	11. X

_AUTHOR'S NOTES AND INFORMATION: Random cameos and moments abound. Enjoy. _

_**Disclaimer**: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX. I saw Evangelion 1.11 on Saturday. Can I just say the redesign for Ramiel is SICK AWESOME?  
_

_

* * *

  
_

**TEN: Lost Justice**

**April 21****st****, 2012**

**Evening**

**Weather: Rainy**

"What am I gonna make for her?"

Kanji sat in his room above Tatsumi Textiles, staring irritably at the blank TV in front of him. It was raining. Again. Stupid rain.

"She's not the kind of girl who likes stuff I make either." he picked up a plush rabbit he made three days ago and tossed it at the wall with driving force. It squeaked as it hit the wall and fell to the floor like the rag doll it was.

"It's too damn difficult. _She's _too damn difficult." Kanji's face was red as he thought about Naoto. The girl had a hold on him, though he didn't want to admit it. Her masculine charm had haunted him for the longest time, even more so ever since he discovered her true gender.

'_I don't even know a damn thing about her._' Kanji reminded himself, glaring at the television. There were options he could take.

One option was that he could ask his mother.

'_Hell no. No effing way am I going to ask my MOM for a favor like this._' Kanji discarded that theory quickly.

Another option was that he could ask the group for help.

'_That's even worse._' Kanji twitched at the thought.

He imagined himself bringing up the proposition to the group. He saw Rise nagging him right away about it, constantly bringing up visions of their beautiful wedding and how she wanted to be a bridesmaid. Yosuke would laugh his ass off (then Kanji would proceed to beat him up, because he was the senpai who _deserved _to have his ass kicked sometimes). Yukiko and Chie might actually support him with the matter, though Yukiko, despite her kindness, was scatter-brained and wouldn't remember after a while. Maybe Chie was a safe bet to go with. And he didn't want to even _think _about how Teddie would react.

Kanji sighed. He had nothing.

'_What if I did sew her something? Something she'd use?_' Kanji tried to think. What would someone like Naoto use?

There was a buzzing noise in the background. Kanji grunted in confusion, lifting himself off the bed to see that his TV was suddenly getting reception. The screen was blank for a few moments before the image of a girl's silhouette appeared on the screen.

"Oh shit." Kanji cursed. "This ain't good."

She appeared to be a young girl, perhaps a little younger than him. But not by much. Her hair was cut short, though it was thick enough to see the outline. Her clothing was almost too difficult to see, but it barely looked like the uniform from his school.

Immediately, Kanji grabbed his phone and dialed Yosuke's number. A drowsy Yosuke answered.

"W-wha, Chie, I'm too tired to talk--"

"Wake up, dumbass! There's someone on the TV!"

"K-Kanji-kun!" Yosuke immediately sounded awake. He dropped the phone and Kanji rolled his eyes at the sounds of the phone falling from his grip and Yosuke shuffling to grab it again.

"What did you say?" Yosuke asked.

"There's someone on the Midnight Channel." Kanji explained.

"W-what!?" Yosuke sounded like he was moving to find a TV himself.

The clock struck 12:01 AM.

"It's gone now, idiot." Kanji grunted, wondering why he called _him _of all people. How on Earth did Yosuke manage to keep himself organized? And why did he call him Chie?

"Senpai." Kanji brought that up.

"I missed it? Who was it? Could you tell? We need to call everyone else and tell them--"

"Why did you say Chie-senpai's name?" Kanji asked flatly. There was a long silence.

"Gotta go. See you tomorrow." Yosuke sounded panicked as he hung up. Kanji rolled his eyes.

"I'm not even gonna go there." Kanji laid himself back down on the bed stared at his phone. He _could _call her. He had to tell her about what had happened, after all. But courage wasn't going to help him tonight. He sighed. He'd tell her tomorrow. Maybe if he was lucky, she would have already seen it. That way he wouldn't have to bring it up and Naoto wouldn't accuse him of not calling her when it happened.

"Dammit. This is too tough."

~*~*~

**April 22****nd****, 2012**

**Noon**

**Weather: Cloudy**

"Oh, sorry about that!"

"No, it's my fault!"

Shinji had been walking absent-mindedly down the hallway. He was trying to make his way back to the classroom for afternoon classes, but ended up walking straight into a teacher who was, of course, carrying a large pile of papers.

"Hyuga-san, are you alright?" came another voice down the hall. Shinji peered down the hallway to see the victim wasn't alone. The school's nurse and another teacher scurried to the man's help, starting to gather papers. Shinji watched for a few moments before coming to his senses. He leaned over and politely picked some of the papers, handing them back to whom he crashed into.

"Sorry about that." the teacher apologized again. "Hey, have I seen you somewhere?"

"Maybe." Shinji answered, unsure. He didn't recognize this teacher. "I don't know."

"Maybe not. I don't teach classes that often. I'm a substitute." he smiled and held out his free hand, the other holding papers. "I'm Makoto Hyuga." he introduced.

"Shinji Ikari." Shinji introduced himself, loosely taking the hand and shaking it in greeting. A substitute teacher? He definitely seemed like the kind of guy who would be one.

"I appreciate you trying to help me, Shinji-kun, but it looks like my friends are helping out too. You'd better get back to class." Hyuga told Shinji. He seemed to be very teacherly. Shinji nodded.

"Sorry again." Shinji apologized.

"Don't worry about it, kid," the other male teacher said in place of Hyuga. "Just go study."

Without another word, Shinji left the three teachers to pick up the pile of discarded papers. Shinji returned to his class and sat, leaning his upper body up against the top of the desk. Kaworu walked over from his desk to greet his friend.

"Was Souryu-san beating you up in the school linen closet?" Kaworu joked.

"No, I went to go find Naoto-senpai." Shinji explained. "Or someone that knows something about the guy who was here before me."

"Hm?" Kaworu asked.

"It's Souji Seta, right?" Shinji asked. "Apparently he and I have something in common."

"Why are you worrying about someone like that?" Kaworu asked curiously. "You're you." he playfully ruffled Shinji's hair, resulting in Shinji giving his best friend a half smile.

"It's been bothering me for a while." Shinji admitted. "All of this is happening really fast," he muttered. "The Persona, the Velvet Room, the battles, the Angels..."

"Velvet Room?" Kaworu questioned.

"You haven't seen it either?" Shinji had asked most of the other Persona users about it since he asked Yosuke. None of them knew about it. The closest answer he got was when he asked Teddie about it. Teddie said he had been in a limo before, but he said he couldn't quite remember much about it.

"No, but it sounds important." Kaworu sounded supportive as usual.

"It is, I think." Shinji replied. "I got another Persona."

"Really?" Kaworu asked. "You can have more than one?"

"Apparently." Shinji answered, a bit surprised himself. "This one's different than Job."

"I see. Well, maybe we'll see it soon." Kaworu said with a smile. The bell sounded as Shinji nodded in response.

~*~*~

The Teacher's Lounge before and during lunch was always crowded, Misato noticed. Teachers had permission to leave the school grounds during lunch, but none of them seemed to want to. The blue-haired teacher made her way to the faculty fridge, dying to drink the beer she snuck into the building this morning. She'd disguised it to look like a soda can. After all, teachers couldn't drink alcohol in the building unless it was a faculty party.

She opened the fridge, trying to drown out the constant chatter of the teachers around her. Gossip flew around the room, but she didn't bother to listen to any of it. She searched around the fridge. Her beer wasn't there.

"What the _hell_." Misato glared at the empty space in the fridge.

"Katsuragi-san." came a deep voice from behind her. Misato whirled her head around and slammed the fridge door.

"Wha--AAAAH." Misato practically yelled as she saw Noriko Kashiwagi _drinking _her can of beer.

"You thief! Give me back my--" Misato glared at the first year teacher before she realized how loud she was. She couldn't say "beer".

"Your what? Sorry darling, but if it doesn't have your _name _on it, consider it property of the whole staff." Kashiwagi took another sip. The faculty room continued to chat, trying to ignore the igniting argument.

'_Bitch._' was what Misato wanted to say. Instead, she said, "You'll have to buy me another."

"Why? So that you can secretly drink under the student's noses?" Kashiwagi mocked. "Hun, I've taught here much longer than you. So consider this a gift from you to me. Trying to impress me? Such a kiss-ass." Kashiwagi turned the entire situation upside down. A woman like Misato wouldn't take that.

"I'll make you eat those words." Misato glared and appeared ready to pounce on Kashiwagi.

"Give it your best shot, you skank." Kashiwagi continued her wave of insults. "Didn't like you since orientation."

"That's _it._" Misato cocked her fist. Kashiwagi cringed. The bell rang.

"Saved by the bell, you whore. Next time you won't be so lucky. Don't touch my _soda_." Misato hissed.

"If this is soda, your boobs are real." Kashiwagi wasn't done.

Misato replied with a swift kick to Kashiwagi's legs. A howl filled the air, but no teacher seemed to care all that much.

~*~*~

"Yes, I did see it." Naoto said seriously.

The elder Persona-users sat on the roof of the school while they ate lunch. They had just brought up the topic.

"I didn't get a good look at her, though." Kanji explained.

"The image shown on the television wasn't very good." Naoto sympathized.

"But that's how it always starts. Is it another Angel?" Rise asked. "When Sachiel showed up, it appeared as a woman that looked kinda similar to that."

"I thought I saw her wearing a school uniform." Yukiko had seen it too. "But that might be my imagination."

"No, I think I saw it too." Chie replied.

"How on Earth did all of you see it?" Yosuke asked. The entire group turned to him, staring at him as if he were a fool. "What?" Yosuke asked.

"You didn't see it?" Chie asked.

"N-no. My new boss works me hard, alright? I was tired!" Yosuke complained. He shoved a pile of food into his mouth, chewing to avoid being asked a question.

"Anyway, the matter at hand is serious. We may be dealing with another Angel or something worse." Naoto deduced.

"What could be worse? That thing was tough enough last time!" Yosuke said.

"We could be dealing with another victim. And that means that someone else might be throwing people into the TV World." Naoto explained.

"No way!" Chie exclaimed. "Adachi's behind bars. He's not going anywhere..."

"That doesn't mean that this is over." Naoto muttered. '_Adachi may already be dead. But he may have passed work on to someone else. __T__hat wouldn't make much sense__, though..._' Naoto gingerly nibbled the food on the end of her chopsticks. Thinking this much usually made her lose her appetite.

"Well, I think it's going to rain tonight." Yukiko pointed out. "So we'll keep an eye on the Midnight Channel again. If something else shows up, we'll know for sure what it is and what we can do about it."

"Good plan, senpai." Rise smiled in response to Yukiko's idea. Naoto nodded.

"Yes, that sounds logical." Naoto agreed. "Should I notify the others?" Naoto asked, referring to the new Persona-users.

"I can tell Shinji-kun. He'll be stopping by Junes if I'm lucky." Yosuke offered.

"If you're lucky?" Chie asked.

"Does that mean there's a chance you won't see him?" Yukiko asked. Yosuke sighed.

"Maybe." he answered.

"You're such a dork!" Chie punched him in the shoulder. Yosuke yelped in pain.

"I'll notify Asuka-san." Naoto offered. "She's in class 1-3, correct? Can someone go tell Shinji-kun and Kaworu-san?"

"I said I would." Yosuke rubbed the spot where Chie hit him.

The bell sounded and the group departed. But Yosuke never did get a chance to tell Shinji.

~*~*~

**April 22****nd****, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Cloudy/Rainy**

"Ayanami Rei? Is Ayanami Rei present?"

The teacher took attendance at the start of afternoon classes. Shinji glanced around. Rei wasn't in. She hadn't been in that morning either. He sighed quietly as he stretched his legs while the teacher continued to read off names. The class passed slowly and the teacher spoke in a very dull voice. It was too easy to goof off, but Shinji noticed that a number of students did very well in paying attention. He looked over at Rei's desk.

Why wasn't she here? Was she sick from going into the TV World? Shinji discarded that thought. She was sick before, but she should've been fine now. She was fine when he saw her two days ago.

'_Maybe I should call her._' Shinji thought, idle thoughts running through his mind. '_But I don't have her number._'

Did she have friends in the class that did? Shinji never exchanged numbers with anyone in the group but Kaworu.

The bell sounded after the long lull of class. Desperate students got up and made their way out of the classroom. Many complained about the lesson, some just were happy to be out of school. Shinji told Kaworu about his concern with Rei.

"She's probably fine." Kaworu frowned.

"Still. Do you see her hanging out with anyone?" Shinji asked.

"No." Kaworu answered simply. "We can go visit her," he suggested.

"You know where she lives?" Shinji asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Not too far from my house." Kaworu explained. "I see her running to school sometimes."

"Okay. Can you take me there?" Shinji asked. Kaworu sighed and nodded.

"Of course." he smiled for his friend. He'd do anything for Shinji. But _only _Shinji.

The two of them left school, the sky cloudy and gray. Shinji sighed.

"Is it going to rain again?" he asked quietly.

"It might. It's been raining a lot." Kaworu noted, his red eyes glancing back and forth from Shinji to the road in front of him.

By the time they made their way to Rei's apartment complex, (Kaworu had explained that she came from a large complex near his neighborhood,) Shinji had stepped in several deep puddles. The leggings of his school pants were soaking wet by the time they reached her abode. He tried to squeeze them dry as they got to the door, but after Kaworu rang the doorbell several times with no response, he began to worry.

"Wouldn't she have answered the door by now?" Shinji asked after the seventh ring.

"I'd think so, wouldn't you?" Kaworu asked in response, his expression all too serious.

They tried a couple more times and even knocked on the door. No answer. Kaworu placed a hand on the doorknob and turned. The door was unlocked.

"Hm?" Kaworu asked, curious as to why her door wasn't locked properly.

"We just can't go in." Shinji stared at Kaworu like it was the worst idea in the world. "What if she just didn't hear us?"

"It's better to be safe than sorry." Kaworu said, his carefree attitude shining through once more. He opened the door and stepped inside. Shinji followed hesitantly.

It was a small apartment by the looks of it. The walls were bare of wallpaper and the place generally reeked of something Shinji couldn't quite place. It was like a mixture of miso and dirty laundry. It made his stomach churn slightly.

"Ayanami-san?" Shinji called, cupping his hand near his mouth. "Ayanami-san?"

Kaworu didn't bother to call out for her. Instead, he boldly began to explore the small living area. The hallway extended to a living room, where a TV flashed images of the local Inaba news.

"Why is the TV on?" Shinji asked nervously. "Is she home?"

"Let's hope." Kaworu muttered as he continued to observe the area. They wandered towards a small kitchen, where tens of loaves of bread lined the wall on the far counter. A toaster sat near the stove, where two pieces of toast sat within it, untouched. Nearby was a lukewarm bowl of miso soup. Kaworu had been the one to check the soup's temperature. He even checked the fridge. There wasn't much there. Just a carton of milk and a wheel of cheese. There was packaging for lunchmeats and other various items hastily crammed in the vegetable crisper.

"She's not very organized." Shinji said quietly.

"Does she live on her own?" Kaworu asked, continuing their search out of the kitchen and toward the only bedroom in the house.

"It looks like it." Shinji suddenly felt guilty for not realizing it sooner. Rei seemed like a very independent person. She didn't have many friends (there was a possibility she had _no _friends before they came to town) and whenever Shinji did see her, she was always alone. Did she prefer it that way or was it forced upon her?

"I don't think she's here, Shinji." Kaworu finally said after looking through the bedroom and nearby bathroom.

"Maybe she just went grocery shopping." Shinji tried to remain optimistic. She could've just been at Junes. Kaworu sighed.

"Perhaps. If that's the case, then she'll be back soon. Let's go eat. I'll treat you to some food." he pat his best friend on the shoulder.

It was still unnerving. Shinji couldn't keep himself content as he left the house. He heard thunder ringing through the air the moment the two stepped outside.

"We'd better hurry." Kaworu told him, racing ahead back to the shopping district. Shinji followed, though questions remained on his mind. Where was Rei? She'd be back, wouldn't she? If she was sick, maybe she went out to get something at the pharmacy?

He tried to settle his nerves down with some Chinese food at Aiya. But still he couldn't focus on anything but Rei. Kaworu tried to cheer him up and calm him down, but Shinji couldn't stop worrying. As they finally left the restaurant, the rain came down stronger than before.

The two boys parted ways after their meal at Aiya. Shinji walked back to his house without an umbrella. His uniform was soaking wet by the time he got back home. He didn't hear anyone else but himself once he got in.

'_Dad must still be working._' Shinji thought, walking up the stairs to his room. He took off his uniform and set it out to dry. He changed into a pair of shorts and lay on his bed. What was he supposed to do? He could do something useful like homework, but he knew he couldn't focus on something like that. He didn't have anyone's number but Kaworu's, so he couldn't talk to anyone. He reminded himself to ask for numbers given the right time and place.

He reached for his Mp3 player, wanting to listen to some music instead of the pouring rain. He was sick of hearing rain at this point. Why couldn't it have just stopped raining for a while?

He sighed and lost himself in music.

~*~*~

**April 22****nd****, 2012**

**Evening**

**Weather: Rainy**

It was late when the rain was loud enough to roar over his music. Yosuke adjusted his headphones.

Yosuke was sure that he felt a developing bruise on his shoulder from where Chie had hit him that afternoon. He cringed as he placed it against the soft surface of his bed. He rolled around, scattering homework papers to the ground.

"I don't _care _if I'm getting into Tokyo U, dammit! Why is Fuyutsuki-sensei so determined in getting us into a place like _that_?" Yosuke fumed.

"Yosuke, is the homework being mean to you again?" Teddie asked curiously and innocently, peeking his head through the door. Yosuke sighed.

"Something like that." he replied.

"Yosuke, I'm really starting to worry about what's going on over there." Teddie muttered, opening the door wide open to reveal Teddie in the pajamas he bought himself from Junes.

"What do you mean?" Yosuke asked curiously.

"Well, that Angel thing from last time...I hadn't ever seen one of those before." Teddie explained. "And I've been in that world for a long time."

"You don't say." Yosuke didn't sound too focused on the bear. Teddie glared and bopped Yosuke on the head.

"OW! What am I? The freaking _punching bag_?" Yosuke complained.

"I'm being serious, Yosuke! What if something's happening over there and we're not solving it? Where are those Angel things coming from?" Teddie asked. "If they're not Shadows, why are they there?"

"I don't know!" Yosuke yelled back. "Why do you think I know the answers?"

"I was just asking them..." Teddie whimpered. "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful..."

"Augh, dammit..." Yosuke cringed at his attempts to persuade him with innocent Teddie looks.

"If sensei were here, he'd figure it out." Teddie said suddenly, his face glowing again. "Sensei always looked out for all of us."

"Yeah, well, he's not here." Yosuke bitterly remarked. Teddie frowned.

"Can I call him?" Teddie asked suddenly.

"W-what? No! It's expensive to make a long distance call!" Yosuke complained. "Don't touch my phone!"

Teddie was three feet away from Yosuke's phone before the clock struck 12:00.

The TV began to flash with images. Yosuke and Teddie turned to the TV.

"W-what's going on?" Teddie asked. "Why is the Midnight Channel on?"

"'Cause it's midnight." Yosuke answered before he paid attention to what was being displayed.

"Mountain. Heavy mountain. It changes over a long period."

A monotone voice was heard, accompanied by the image of an abandoned laboratory.

"Is that Naoto's dungeon?" Yosuke asked. The voice continued to speak, though what it said didn't make any sense. It talked about a blue sky, invisible objects, the color red, it went on and on.

"I'm confused." Teddie muttered. After Teddie spoke, the image of a pale girl with teal hair and crimson eyes appeared on the screen. Rei Ayanami.

"What am I? I am I..." her voice sounded almost emotionless. Yosuke caught a coat of blood dripping from Rei's hands before the screen went black.

"Um...Yosuke?" Teddie visibly shook. "W-what just happened?"

"I...I don't know." Yosuke answered. His phone rang. He picked it up. It was Naoto.

"I saw it." Yosuke answered.

"It's not an Angel. I know that girl." Naoto said. "It must have been her Shadow."

"Me too. That's Shinji's friend." Yosuke replied.

"Was it like that before?" Naoto asked.

"Pardon?" Yosuke asked.

"When someone appeared on the TV after being kidnapped, did they do something like that?" Naoto had been the last member of the party to be rescued. She hadn't seen what happened to any of the other Persona-users.

"Um..." Yosuke bit his lip. Before, he recalled people's Shadows appearing as hosts of corny TV shows. But this was different. She seemed emotionless and she kept talking about simple things. A blue sky, water, flowers...

"Um?" Naoto expected an answer.

"S-sorry. Yeah, kinda." Yosuke answered. "Their Shadows showed up. That might've been that girl's Shadow."

"Did you manage to tell Shinji-kun about what had happened?" Naoto asked.

"I...er...well..." Yosuke fumbled for words. Naoto sighed.

"Find a phonebook and call him." Naoto hung up on that.

~*~*~

The landline at the Ikari Residence rang.

Unfortunately, Shinji didn't pick up. A sleepy Gendo grabbed the phone and angrily spoke into it.

"Ikari Residence." he grumbled.

"O-oh, Ikari-san!" Yosuke cringed at hearing his boss' voice. '_Crap, crap, crap!_' Yosuke thought. '_Please, God, don't let him recognize my voice--_'

"Hanamura-kun." Gendo replied, knowing that voice from anywhere. Yosuke mentally kicked himself.

"This better be very important. Otherwise, I'm cutting your next paycheck."

'_SHIT._' Yosuke was going to kill Naoto.

"I need to talk to your son." Yosuke explained.

"Call him on his cell phone. Expect a penalty in your next check." Gendo hung up.

Yosuke punched the wall in his bedroom.

'_Why does my life suck?_'

**To be continued.**


	12. XI

_AUTHOR'S NOTES & INFORMATION: Not much to say other than the story rating is changing. Thanks and enjoy the chapter!  
_

_**Disclaimer: **Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX.  
_

* * *

**ELEVEN: Concealed Star****  
**

**April 23rd, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Sunny**

"It was Ayanami-san, but I don't know what she was talking about."

The sky was clear of rain clouds and the sun shone. It was a strange weather pattern, as many had expected rain to pound down on them. But today, the sun was there instead. It was something very lucky that the group didn't expect.

But with the current matter at hand, the fair weather was the last thing on their minds.

Shinji had seen the broadcast on the Midnight Channel. He didn't quite understand why Yosuke looked so miserable after explaining he tried to call him to ask the question of whether or not Shinji did in fact watch it. Yosuke didn't seem very happy about talking about the subject regarding that phone call either. But regardless, the two boys finally exchanged cell phone numbers at the end of the school day on the following afternoon.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure either." Yosuke told Shinji. "Something about blue and red and..."

"It was interesting to say the least." Asuka was among the group. She stressed the word "interesting" with a scowl. "She really is a freak, but that's a lot weirder than she's ever been."

"Because that probably wasn't her." Chie explained. "Usually it's the Shadow that appears on the Midnight Channel, not the victim."

"Is she safe?" Shinji asked the elder Persona users.

"She'll be fine until the fog starts rolling in." Chie answered. "We need to hurry, because that may not be too far off."

Shinji, Asuka, Yukiko, Chie, and Yosuke had met up after the end of school. Chie had decided it was best to bring Shinji to Daidara Metalworks to get him something to fight with. A Persona was powerful, but there would be a time where he may not have it. Chie recalled numerous situations where she had her Persona blocked in battle through being silenced, or when she had become too exhausted to even summon it. Shinji would need to be prepared for that.

"Here we are." Yukiko said as they arrived at the southern end of the shopping district. She pulled out a list from her pocket and Asuka cocked her head to the side.

"Why do you need a list at a weapons store?" she asked the obvious, a light tone of irritation lacing her voice.

"The others wanted to get some stuff too, but they're busy with other things. Naoto-kun wanted to investigate Ayanami-san's house."

"What?" Asuka asked, her tone flat. "She just went to that freak's house and barged through the door? Not very decent."

Shinji lightly cleared his throat. '_I hope she doesn't figure out Kaworu and I went there yesterday._' He really didn't feel like getting punched or thrown into a dumpster for being indecent by Asuka's standards.

"But hey, Shinji-kun, wasn't Kaworu-kun the one who—" Chie recalled the white-haired boy being the one who told Naoto about their visit to the apartment and that it was unlocked. Shinji's eyes widened and sputtered out an excuse.

"I don't know what you're talking about, senpai!" he nervously exchanged glances with Asuka and Chie. Asuka glared, but she didn't ask. She'd save that for later.

The students walked into the store, greeted by a large man at the counter. Chie began to engage in small talk with the man while the others began to admire surrounding weapons. Knives, swords, chain mail, all sorts of weaponry and armor lined the walls of the store. Shinji couldn't believe a store like this existed in this small country town. Wasn't it supposed to be a peaceful place?

Asuka admired the large axe blades that were high on the wall. They were curved in unique designs and some of them were even different colors. There were golden blades, blue blades, and even a few that didn't appear metal. Whoever made them clearly had some skill. Asuka had a smirk on her face the whole time. Shinji felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Is that him?" Shinji heard a gruff voice from the counter. He turned around and Chie gestured for him to come. Shinji did so.

"Yep. Need a sword for a guy like this." Chie pat Shinji on the shoulder.

"A sword you say?" the man, Daidara, asked. "Kinda puny for handling one, don't you think?"

"Trust me, he needs it." Chie said with a smile. Shinji didn't say anything, but nodded weakly.

'_Do I really need one?_' Shinji asked himself. He didn't dare to ask Chie.

"I think I've got something." Daidara explained, reaching under the counter to produce a smaller sword. It was long, but it appeared very light. The sword was sharp at the tip but the blade itself seemed to be a bit dull.

"Try this." Daidara instructed.

Shinji took the sword in one hand. It was perfectly easy to lift. It was probably only about two or three pounds. He could easily wield it with just one hand.

"Does that work for ya?" the blacksmith questioned. Shinji nodded.

"Thank you. Um, what is it called?" Shinji asked.

"It's a short sword." Daidara explained. "Something light and easy for anyone to handle. Though it's not quite sharpened on the blade. May not cut through really thick substances."

"Like what can't it cut through?" Yukiko asked curiously, holding a pile of weapons in her hands. She placed them on the counter. A revolver, a giant slab of metal, and a pair of what appeared to be steel boxing gloves with spikes.

"Er...lots of things. Can't say for certain because I don't test my weapons on anything too dense." Daidara took the weapons Yukiko laid out and began to search over them for a price tag. He began to add up the total on a nearby cash register. "You buying the short sword too?"

"Yes, please." Shinji said. '_Maybe it might help._' he wasn't sure how yet, but he noticed that everyone else in the group had a weapon as well. For backup? Shinji had only seen the others use weapons for close combat.

"Total's 55,000 yen." Daidara calculated. Yukiko pulled out many bills, but she seemed to fall a bit short.

"Um..." she struggled to search her pockets for more money. Yosuke rolled his eyes and produced another few bills. He slapped them down on the table.

"Better pay me back." Yosuke warned as he helped Yukiko carry a couple of the new weapons. Daidara grabbed a few bags from underneath the table.

"Best not be seen outside with those in public." the blacksmith said with a chuckle.

After packing up the newly bought weapons, the group walked back outside. Clouds were beginning to gather in the sky.

"Is it gonna rain again?" Asuka complained.

"The weather said it wouldn't." Yukiko replied, sounding a bit irritated about the possibility of another April shower.

"How long do we have until the fog comes in?" Shinji asked.

"We should watch the weather." Chie suggested. "It should happen after a lot of rainy days."

"Wait, aren't we going into the TV today? What if Ayanami-san isn't alright?" Shinji asked rather frantically.

"She'll be okay." Yosuke said, sighing. "I checked the weather online. It won't be foggy until a little later in the week. We can go into the TV tomorrow. Besides, Naoto-kun and Rise-chan need some more investigation time, right?"

"But..." Shinji tried to raise an argument. Rei was probably in danger. That world wasn't safe.

"He said _calm down_, idiot." Asuka glared at Shinji. "He's probably dealt with this kinda crap before." she folded her arms, glancing at Yosuke. "He's as much of an idiot as you are, but he has more experience. Let 'em deal with it."

Shinji clenched his fists and stared at the ground.

"And don't think about going in there yourself." Chie warned. "You'll get your ass kicked."

"It's not fair." Shinji whispered.

"We know." Yukiko said. "But we'll save her, promise." she placed a reassuring hand on Shinji's shoulder. He flushed slightly at the older girl's touch. Asuka tensed for a moment.

"So, who wants something to eat?" Chie asked. "Let's get some steak! On Yosuke!"

"H-hell no!" Yosuke yelled at the green-garbed girl. "I just lost my last paycheck to Shinji-kun's demon of a father!"

"Huh?" Shinji asked, unsure of what exactly he meant.

"N-never mind. Pay for your own damn meal if you're going to eat something." Yosuke grunted. "I'll deliver Teddie's weapon to him."

"Thanks." Yukiko said with a smile. "I'll take these to the others. Is anyone else with Naoto-kun?" Yukiko asked Chie.

"Uh, I think just Rise-chan. I heard her say that she needs something that belongs to Ayanami-chan so that she can find her in the TV World." Chie said.

"I see. Well then, I'll head that way." Yukiko nodded.

"You want me to take Kanji-kun's weapon to him?" Chie asked. Yukiko smiled.

"Thanks, will you?"

"Sure, sure."

"They're way too organized." Asuka watched, somewhat impressed. "I'd better go home." she looked at Shinji. "Kaji's not working here this afternoon."

Shinji watched as Asuka bid goodbye to the upperclassmen nearby and walk off from the Shopping District. Shinji was left alone after the upperclassmen split up to deliver the group's weapon supply. He was left with a small bag with his new weapon.

Tomorrow, they'd rescue Rei Ayanami from her certain fate.

~*~*~

At the apartment of Rei Ayanami, Naoto saw the same poorly kept housing that Kaworu and Shinji had stumbled upon yesterday.

"A rather unorganized student, I must say." Naoto sighed, seeing how Rei had left the apartment a mess.

"It's better than my room." Rise joked. Naoto gave her friend a half smile as she flipped through piles of mail on the floor.

"This girl didn't even bother to check through her mail." Naoto complained. "Honestly." she sounded annoyed at Rei's lack of organization. Rise giggled.

"Well, we all can't be as uptight as you." Rise noted. Naoto sighed. Rise averted her eyes from the former detective prince.

"Sorry." Rise apologized, laying on the nearby couch. She swept off some textbooks and homework papers, spreading herself out.

"What exactly do you need to locate her?" Naoto inquired.

"Um, I just need a fact about her. Not even that. Something that I can specifically determine about her in order to find her in the TV World." Rise explained. "Like we found you with the information that you were treated like a child at the police station."

"I see." Naoto answered. '_Something psychological. Not physical._' "Would her lack of organizing personal belongings count?"

"Probably not, no." Rise rolled over on the couch, now lying on her stomach.

There was a knock on the door. Naoto perked her head up.

"I-is that the police? Do they think we broke in? I can't go to jail, Naoto-kun!" Rise whined in a panic. Naoto calmly sighed and stood up, making her way to the door and opened it. Yukiko Amagi stood in the doorway.

"Oh, Yukiko-senpai." Naoto was surprised to see her.

"Good, this is the right place. This is the fifth door I knocked on." Yukiko grumbled, taking her bag of weaponry inside. She closed the door before removing a new revolver and handing it to Naoto.

"For you." Yukiko said nervously, trying to be careful as not to shoot it.

"The safety's on." Naoto told her as she took the revolver. "You won't harm anyone." she took out her old revolver and placed it in the bag that Yukiko brought. She pocketed her new weapon and turned to Rise.

"We shouldn't stay here much longer." she instructed the other two. "We might draw more suspicion."

"_More?_" Rise asked, her eyes narrow. "What suspicious things have we _done_?"

"Er, well. Neighbors might begin to question why Ayanami-san hasn't returned home for some time. And the fact that we're perusing around her house for significant items could also draw suspicion from the local community. Please, Rise-chan, we need to find something." Naoto told Rise.

"Okay, okay, I'm going..." Rise forced herself off the couch and towards the bedroom.

Yukiko looked around, a bit disgusted at the state of the apartment.

"Did Ayanami-san live here?" Yukiko asked.

"She still does. She isn't dead, senpai." Naoto remarked coldly.

"Right." Yukiko said, startled at her tone. '_She's still alive. That's right._'

"Yes, she does live here. I'm not quite too fond of her choice of lifestyle, but that discussion can come after we save her." Naoto knelt back down towards the floor.

"Um, hey, Naoto-kun." Yukiko began to speak up. "Did you notice where the Midnight Channel broadcasted last night? Didn't it look like the place you ended up?" Yukiko asked. Naoto stopped her searching and glanced upward.

"Somewhat. Not entirely." Naoto answered. "Er, how should I put this?" she asked. "It appeared much more ravaged. I suppose the best word to use is abandoned."

"Ravaged? Abandoned?" Yukiko echoed her words to describe the scene where Rei's Shadow had appeared onscreen.

"I suppose we will know for sure whether or not she is located in my Secret Laboratory once we go into the TV World tomorrow to rescue her." Naoto said.

"Yeah, you're right." Yukiko nodded.

"GUYS!" Rise called from the bedroom. "I found something!"

The blue and red women looked at each other quickly before walking quickly to the bedroom where Rise held a journal.

"Where did you find that? I looked all over for a diary of some sort." Naoto expressed her shock.

"Under her mattress. I had to reach in really far to get it. But, it's not a diary." Rise opened up the journal. "It's a nature journal from elementary school, I think. It has sketches and stuff. And the handwriting's not really good. But there was an entry in here that helped me out." she opened the journal to the last page, where an entry in neater handwriting than in the previous pages.

Naoto looked carefully at what was written:

_I found this book today when I was going through my things. Funny, huh? Good times. You know, it just reminded me of the truth. I really didn't have a lot of friends growing up. And I don't have a lot of friends now. I guess I haven't changed much since elementary school. I kinda just sat around and drew things. The other kids looked at me weirdly too. I wonder what was up with that. I guess I didn't know how to do anything else like socialize. _

_But now that I've realized that, I'm not gonna give up. I'm going to make friends, even if I mortally embarrass myself. Well, here's to the future. I'll keep this thing near me, but out of my sight. Just to remind me how silly I am for not finding friends sooner. Hopefully things'll work out for me! _

_~Rei Ayanami_

"She wasn't social." Naoto stated the key facts. "And she still isn't now."

"Huh? Why not now? How do you know that?" Yukiko asked.

"She would have removed such a silly thing from her mattress if her wish had come true to remind her that she fulfilled her deed. I do not know much about her personality, but I believe that's what she probably would have done." Naoto explained her thought process.

"Well, it's enough to get me to find her." Rise said with a cheerful nod.

"Very good. We must get going then." Naoto told the other two as she looked out the window. The sun had already set.

"So are we gonna meet at Junes tomorrow?" Rise asked.

"Right after school." Naoto explained.

"Sounds good." Yukiko agreed. "Do either of you want me to walk you home?" Yukiko asked.

"No, that's quite alright." Naoto turned down her offer.

"Sure! Let's go, Yukiko-senpai! Have you heard from Souji-senpai lately?" Rise begged to know from their former leader. Rise left the journal on Rei's unmade bed. She didn't have the guts to remove it from its original home.

They left Rei's house as night fell. Tomorrow, their mission would begin.

~*~*~

**April 24th, 2012**

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Sunny**

It was a strange sensation going through the TV again.

Shinji couldn't say he was used to it yet, but he figured it would take a while before he considered it to feel normal. The yellow lobby greeted him upon arrival, seeing everyone else gathered nearby. Shinji held his new sword in his right hand; ready to use it to the best of his ability in combat.

Rise had begun to scan the area for Rei. Kanzeon floated behind Rise and its satellite head spun around slowly. Clicking and humming came from the Persona almost as if it were a computer. Rise stood absolutely still as she kept the process going. It was nearly ten minutes before Kanzeon disappeared and Rise walked over to Shinji and the others near him.

"I found her!" Rise announced. "But she's in a really strange location."

"A new location or where someone else's dungeon is?" Yosuke asked.

"It's far away from all the places we've been to so far." Rise told them. "I'll lead the way."

With the new sword in hand, Shinji followed the others through the fog and into the unknown. The new glasses helped immensely. No headaches or nausea bothered him as he kept jogging to keep up with the others. It looked like the glasses were helping Kaworu and Asuka too. They didn't complain or appear as fatigued as they were before on their first trip into the mysterious world.

But as they raced further and further away from their starting point, the sky turned considerably darker and the yellow from the ground started to turn into a strange brown. The air became thick with tension as the group slowed considerably down. They seemed to be a little bit more careful as they neared the location that Rise tried to lead them to.

"Here." Rise stopped as she raised her head to look at the entrance to the new found dungeon.

"That's not..." Naoto began; knowing right away that the building now in front of them wasn't the Secret Lab that appeared when Naoto had been thrown into the TV.

It appeared to be a large pyramid, with rows of windows surrounding the edges. However, the windows were all tinted and didn't reveal any details of what was within the building. A second inverted pyramid-shaped depression with the same tinted windows inside it rested at the curious structure's side. A large set of double doors stood before the group, where one of the doors had been seemingly forced open. There were marks in the ground where the door stood open that gave indication that the door had been opened somehow. What made the group shudder was the sight of handprints over the inside of the open door. Some appeared to be black handprints made of ash, while others were a dark red-brown color that reeked of dried blood.

"This is where she is?" Asuka asked, turning to Rise. "Or did your Persona give us a wrong turn?"

Rise glared at the redhead. "Kanzeon's never wrong." Rise spat. "This is where I'm sensing her."

"Hm, well. Let's go in then." Asuka said stubbornly as she prepared to venture in. Naoto placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Not so quickly, Souryu-san." Naoto instructed. "Shinji-kun, pick three people to go with you into the dungeon. We'll hold a similar plan to when we tried to find the Angel."

"Eh? Why does _he _get to pick?" Asuka demanded.

"Why not?" Kaworu asked in response. Asuka folded her arms irritably.

"Um, alright." Shinji agreed. His voice was quiet. Who was he going to take? He looked among the Persona users.

"Kaw--" Shinji began to elect his first candidate, but Asuka butted in.

"No best friend bonding. Take me instead. You'll need me to cover your sorry ass." Asuka immediately got the first spot on his team. Shinji sighed.

"Fine." he said, his gaze returning to look at the others.

"I'll be alright, Shinji. It's best to pick some other experienced members to go with you now." Kaworu told his friend, smiling as he stepped away from the elected leader. Shinji looked over at the girl who gave him authority.

"Do you want to come with me, Naoto-senpai?" Shinji asked. Naoto's eyes widened.

"I suppose I could lend you a hand." Naoto said with a small smile.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" Teddie leaped through the crowd, now garbed in his bear suit. "Pick me! Pick me!" he waved his hand around. He knocked Yosuke in the head with his elbow.

"Ow, dumb bear..." Yosuke grumbled.

"O-okay. Teddie-san can come too." Shinji said, a bit overwhelmed by his overly peppy personality.

"Eh? Why him? He probably can't kill a fly!" Asuka complained.

"Teddie's actually a very skilled Persona user." Naoto explained to Asuka. "Despite his appearance." she murmured quietly.

"You won't be disappointed, Shinji-kun!" Teddie saluted with a grin. When using the bear suit, Teddie's mouth never moved when he spoke. It was a little unnerving for Shinji.

"Alright. So Chie and Kanji will go in one group. Yosuke, Kaworu, and Yukiko will go in another. Rise will come with us." Naoto repeated to Shinji. Shinji nodded.

"Good, so if we hear anything, we'll contact Rise-chan." Chie told the others.

The groups split up and entered the dungeon. Shinji's group was the last to enter. Almost as if it were planned, the lobby of the pyramid held three doors. In the center of the room was a large tube with bubbling, orange liquid. There was nothing in it but liquid, however there were visible cracks extending over the tube. It didn't seem to be leaking, though it seemed to illuminate the dark dungeon. It was the only thing that lit up in the room. A dim and flickering red light was the only other source of illumination.

"Great." Yosuke grumbled as he stood before three doors. "Which one do we take?" he asked his group.

"To the right." Kaworu immediately spoke before Yukiko.

"Why?" Yukiko asked the red-eyed boy. Kaworu didn't respond.

"A-alright then, let's go that way." Yosuke walked through the door. It was heavy and a little difficult to open, but they got through.

"We'll go down the middle." Kanji elected the door he and Chie would go through.

"That leaves the left to you guys." Chie told the remaining group. "Good luck."

"Rise-chan, can you sense her location?" Naoto asked Rise.

"Mmmm...kinda." Rise sounded unsure. "This place is huge."

"Bigger than any of the ones you've been in before?" Shinji asked.

"There's a huge room in the basement of this place. It looks like there's a flight of stairs if we go through this door." Rise explained.

"AAH." Teddie yelled, as there was a sudden sound through the walls. He clung onto Asuka. "Save me, Asuka-chan!"

Asuka pushed the bear off onto the floor. He struggled to get up. "Don't get comfy." she bitterly remarked.

"Souryu-san, you shouldn't..." Shinji helped Teddie up.

"I can do what I want! And for the love of everything good, stop calling me by my surname!" Asuka yelled at Shinji. "Man up and call me by my name!"

"This is no time for petty arguments." Naoto told them, reaching for her revolver. "There are Shadows here."

~*~*~

"_**Asuka Langley Souryu. She is in the class next to mine. She bullies Shinji and Kaworu. She bullies lots of people. Is she my friend? Is she my enemy? What is a friend? What is an enemy? She has not been kind. But is that her way of being kind? One thing is for certain. Asuka is not fond of me. She thinks I am "strange". A "freak". Am I?**_"

Through the battling of Shadows, the group descended a few flights of stairs. Rei's monotone voice echoed through the walls. Asuka bashed her axe into the head of a slithering blob that tried to attack her.

"Is that freak talking about me?" Asuka asked as she brought down another Shadow. It was the last 'am I' that the voice said that almost sounded like the original Rei's voice. The voice that Shinji and Asuka knew belonged to Rei Ayanami.

"The lights are flickering. It's getting harder and harder to see, even with the glasses." Shinji remarked, shivering a little bit from the atmosphere around them. It was getting colder and colder as they descended. The metallic walls continued to be covered in handprints. Both of ash and blood. They kept increasing in number with every floor they descended to. There were even some divots in the walls that looked like they might have been caused by bullets.

"This is getting a little spooky." Asuka had to admit, glaring around as the number of Shadows settled down after they climbed down their fifth staircase.

"_**Kaworu Nagisa. Who is he? He is Shinji's friend. He is my classmate. He sits near me. His eyes are the same color as mine. He is always smiling. Why is that? Is he always happy? What does it take to be happy? Friendship? Love? Being in power? I do not understand him. But I do not understand myself.**_"

From afar, Kaworu heard the voice echoing off the walls.

"Ayanami-san." he averted his eyes from the others, his voice almost as monotone as hers.

"Dude. She's kinda creepy." Yosuke grimaced at hearing Rei's voice.

"Don't judge, Yosuke-kun. This is probably her Shadow talking. We heard other people's Shadows when we went into other dungeons." Yukiko recalled. Yosuke visibly shook.

"Yeah, don't remind me. The worst was that guy Mitsuo's." Yosuke remembered. Yukiko sighed.

"You had to bring that up." she remembered Mitsuo Kubo's name now. Back when their quest began, Mitsuo was the boy who tried to ask her out in front of the school building. But she couldn't remember his name. After what had happened, she wouldn't ever forget it.

"Who was Mitsuo?" Kaworu asked.

"We'll tell you later." Yosuke said quickly. He armed himself as snarls of Shadows bounced off the walls. There were claw marks racing across the walls, formed by rogue Shadows who had been searching the area for something to snack on.

"Agidyne!" Yukiko saw a Shadow from down the hallway. Amaterasu appeared from behind the red-garbed girl and flames began to form around her body. The heat was intense as fire raced from Yukiko to the Shadow victim. It screeched in pain, clearly weak to fire.

"Get it!" Yosuke yelled, running up to it and slashing it with his kunai.

"Senpai!" Kaworu saw another Shadow nearby. He trapped the Shadow with his scythe, nearly cutting into its head. The Shadow squirmed.

"Mudo." Kaworu said with venom in his voice. Tabris appeared, raising one arm, causing a wave of dark enemy to form around the Shadow. In an instant, the enemy dissolved.

"Nice shot." Yosuke sounded impressed.

"When did I learn such a technique?" Kaworu asked himself quietly.

"New ones just sorta come to you." Yosuke explained. "When you keep fighting, I mean."

"I see." Kaworu responded, glancing down at his pale hands.

"We have to keep going." Yukiko reminded the boys, closing her fan and advancing forward.

~*~*~

"_Is that Ayanami girl hanging around here again?_" there was a voice that filled the air that didn't sound like Rei's voice at all. It stopped Shinji and his group dead in their tracks.

"_Yeah, she is. But don't worry about her. She won't bother us._" came another voice.

"_She's kinda creepy, don't you think? Those red eyes, that bright teal hair...she can't be human._"

"_Eh? I never noticed that before. I suppose you're right._"

"_**Stop talking about me like that...**_" came Rei's voice. Her original voice. "_**I don't understand why'd they would think that...maybe because I don't understand myself...**_"

"Ayanami-san?" Shinji asked, a tang of guilt racing through him.

"That happened for some people." Teddie explained. "Their inner selves and thoughts are heard in their dungeons."

"Didn't know she had issues." Asuka grunted, swinging her hatchet back and forth idly.

"Be careful with that." Naoto warned the redhead, standing at a safe distance.

"She just wants someone to accept her." Shinji muttered.

"Yes, that's what the inner self wants. To be accepted though they may say harsh things. They only speak the truth." Naoto's eyes glazed over as she remembered her own Shadow.

'_You are but a child. You can't change that essential truth._' The words still burned her ears to this day. But they were true. She wasn't grown up and she couldn't change her identity.

The group climbed down another staircase. The last one before they found themselves in a larger room. As they descended down the last stair, the room before them was much different than the rooms they had seen before. The room was as dark as the others, though a ring of green light circled the entire circular wall. The walls appeared black, but also seemed to be made of something like glass. A labyrinth of pipes grew from the ceiling, coiling and curling around a cylinder tank in the center of the room that resembled the one they had seen in the dome's lobby. However, this tank wasn't empty. It contained a body. The body of a girl garbed in a Yasogami School Uniform. It was Rei. She appeared unable to move and her eyes were closed, though her skin was considerably paler than it ever was.

"Shit, are we too late?" Asuka asked, glaring at the tank. Was she unconscious? Or was it worse than that?

"Can we break this and get her out of here?" Naoto asked, tapping the tank with the end of her revolver.

"I-I don't like this place..." Teddie shivered.

'_I don't either._' Shinji thought, fear slowly setting in. It was eerie. Beyond that, even. There was a strong scent of something that resembled blood.

"Help me break this open!" Naoto called to the others, jabbing the tank with her revolver.

"Why not shoot the glass?" Asuka asked. Naoto glared.

"And risk shooting her in the process?" she asked the obvious.

"Stand back, Sherlock." Asuka announced as she raised her hatchet. Naoto did as she was told and got out of the way before Asuka slammed the blade of her axe into the glass, cracking it. There was a burst of liquid and glass as the tank shattered. Rei fell out, her body limp and warm. Shinji ran to make sure she was still alive. Naoto followed, leaning down to press a hand to her neck.

"She has a pulse. She's merely unconscious." Naoto explained.

"Geez, way to scare us!" Asuka complained.

"You were worried?" Shinji asked, surprised to hear something like that from Asuka.

"N-no! Why would I care about that freak?" Asuka prompted. Shinji sighed and turned back to look at Rei.

"She's waking up!" Teddie exclaimed happily.

As Teddie said that, Rei's eyes fluttered open. She inhaled sharply and coughed. Orange liquid dribbled out of her mouth. She exhaled slowly, her sight adjusting to her surroundings.

"W-what happened? I-Ikari-kun, is that you?" her voice shook. "Where am I?" her voice was choked and weak. "I can't see...there's fog everywhere..."

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here..." Shinji promised. "Rise-senpai, can you tell the others we found her?" he turned to the communicator and she nodded.

"No problem." she drew out Kanzeon to communicate to the others.

"Ayanami-san, how did you get here?" Shinji asked.

"I...I can't remember." Rei struggled to recall what happened. She clutched her stomach, her arms covered in scrapes and gashes.

"Geez, you're really messed up." Asuka hissed, finding places on her visible skin that were hurt.

"A-am I?" Rei asked, a small chuckle emitting past her lips. "I guess..."

"_**But am I? I do not know. What does it mean to be "messed up"?**_" came the eerily familiar voice that they had heard before.

"I-it's her!" Teddie pointed to a newcomer in the room.

Another Rei appeared, her yellow eyes piercing the darkness of the room. She looked exactly the same as the Rei that lay on the metal floor, albeit the eyes and that she wasn't soaking wet with a strange liquid.

"Great. A welcoming committee." Asuka grunted, brandishing her hatchet.

"I know who I am." Rei said sharply, glaring at the copy of herself. "I'm Rei Ayanami."

"_**Does that explain where you were born? Who raised you? What were they like? Do you know? I do not. I do not understand anything about myself.**_" "Rei" spoke in a monotone voice, emotion void from her face and tone.

"J-just because I don't remember that stuff--" Rei began, her red eyes flaring with a growing anger.

"_**Why do they look at me like I am inhuman? I wonder what makes one human. Is it friendship? Does having others around make one feel complete? Perhaps that is why I do not understand...**_"

"Shut up! Who do you think you are!?" Rei demanded, rising to her feet. "Stop saying that stuff! I...I..."

Shinji saw her on the verge of tears. Her Shadow spoke the truth, he reminded himself. The truth she didn't want to face. The truth that Ayanami Rei didn't understand herself and was truly and utterly alone.

"_**Who am I? What am I? I am I. And you are me.**_" "Rei" answered simply. Rei's expression changed dramatically from anger to fear.

"N-no...that can't be. I am not you! I _know _who I am!" Rei screamed.

"Don't say that!" Teddie yelled, trying to stop her. "It'll go bear-serk!"

"YOU'RE NOT ME!" he was unable to stop her.

There was a silence that filled the room briefly before "Rei" began to emit a violet-colored aura.

"_**Why? Why am I unable to be understood?**_" it spoke, its voice suddenly twisting, filled with the sound of a Shadow more than that of a human.

"Get ready!" Naoto yelled.

"We'll save you." Shinji promised as the fog around "Rei"'s body began to engulf her.

A newly formed monster appeared before the five adolescents. It was a giant made entirely of white. Orange and blue gashes raked all across its body. Red eyes peered down at the group, a twisted smile forming on its lips. The being had four long, white arms. Each one had a ring of light wrapping around the elbow. Something that resembled hair flowed down from the head to the feet, moving as if it were living on its own. Exposed breasts and nipples dripped with the same orange liquid that Rei had been trapped in. Its bottom half was modestly covered with an fig leaf.

Rei's breath picked up as she witnessed the corrupted Shadow born from her soul. She passed out cold on the ground, her body splashing against the liquid on the metallic floor.

"Rise-chan, watch over her." Naoto told Rise. The support member raced over to Rei and moved her out of the way, preparing to scan the Shadow before them.

"_**I am a Shadow... the true self.**_"

**To be continued.**


	13. XII

_**Disclaimer**: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is owned by ATLUS. Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX. _

* * *

**TWELVE: In the Arms of Justice**

**April 24****th****, 2012**

**????**

**Weather: ????**

"_**I am a Shadow… the true self.**_"

The white giant born from Rei's psyche towered above them, its voice gnarled and twisted. Bits and pieces of Rei's voice were sprinkled in, enough to make it similar. But this monster, this beast, was born from _her _insecurity. That was what made it much worse to face.

Shinji shook more violently than before as he witnessed Rei pass out onto the floor. Naoto seemed far too calm for this situation.

"S-senpai, she's--"

"Move!" Naoto yelled at the timid leader, witnessing a ring of light beginning to circle around Shinji's feet. Shinji glanced down, his eyes widening. He leaped out of the way, just enough time to dodge particles of paper floating into the air. In an instant, the light crackled and disappeared. The attack had missed.

"What was that?" Shinji asked.

"Hama." Naoto answered cooly, keeping her gaze low toward the ground, just in case the Shadow decided to do it again.

"Hama?" Shinji echoed her words. Asuka rolled her eyes.

"Enough chit-chat! Bring the stupid thing down already!" she lunged forward, ready to strike with her axe.

"If you're hit with that, you'll pass out!" Naoto warned. Shinji froze and Asuka stopped her attack.

"That's… not good." Asuka lowered her eyes as Naoto did for the briefest of moments. But she soon threw her head up in confidence.

"Nothing can defeat the great Asuka Langley Souryu! Watch! I'll bring it down in ten seconds _flat_." Asuka bragged.

"_**It is… of no use. What will this bring you? Meaning? I seek meaning as well. Perhaps… I can find it in destroying you…**_" the Shadow spoke again, monotone and eerie.

'_It's like Asuka's Shadow._' Shinji recalled. '_The inner doubts. The weaknesses. __**Her **__weaknesses._' he gripped his sword. '_We'll save you._'

"Persona!" Shinji yelled, the image of Job manifesting behind him. Wind began to whip up around Shinji's body, a strong gust of Garu preparing to strike the enemy before them. With a battle cry, Shinji released the Garu and the wind tore at the Shadow's skin. Each cut allowed more of the orange liquid to ooze out of its body. The Shadow did not screech or howl in pain. In fact, it did not seem to affect it at all. It merely kept staring at the group.

"That didn't do anything?" Shinji asked quietly, his eyes wide.

"Weakling! You call yourself a man?" Asuka yelled. "Watch and learn! Persona!" she summoned Mary Magdalene with a swish of her axe. Fire began to brim around Asuka's axe. Asuka gripped the hilt of her weapon, and then charged. With a brutal swing, she landed a strike near the Shadow's groin area. At the impact, the axe cut clean through the white skin. Orange liquid began to flow nonstop, the smell of blood filling the room. And still, the Shadow did not cry for mercy.

"Are we even doing anything to this thing!?" Asuka complained, glaring back at the support member who stood by the unconscious Rei.

"Hold up! Don't complain to me! I've gotta make sure I'm not hit in this stupid mess!" Rise complained back, Kanzeon scanning the beast before them. "And if you care about Ayanami-san at all, you'll wait a couple of seconds!"

"We don't _have _a couple of seconds!" Asuka yelled. "Hurry up, bimbo!"

"B-bimbo!?" Rise screeched.

"Please, this isn't the time…" Naoto murmured. "Rise-chan! Please, hurry."

"Ugh. The body's hollow." Rise grunted. "Well, I mean, other than having all that weird orange stuff. Trust me, that's not juice."

"We figured." Naoto grumbled.

"If you keep hitting it, it won't do any good." Rise told them.

"Then what _should _we do?" Asuka asked.

Rise was about to answer when a ring of light began to trace itself around Asuka's feet. Naoto's eyes widened.

"Get out!" Naoto yelled.

"Huh?" Asuka didn't notice it until too late. The particles of paper began to circle themselves around the red-haired Persona-user, nearly ready to knock her clean to the ground. Naoto ran to her, pushing Asuka out of the region and taking the blow. Naoto was unaffected.

"W-what the hell?" Asuka exclaimed.

"Naoto-senpai, you're okay?" Shinji asked, surprised she wasn't knocked out.

"Light and dark nullification." Naoto answered. "Your Persona grows with experience. Eventually, your specialty becomes so much more than your strength."

"_**They say death holds answers. Perhaps you will find purpose in that too.**_"

Four large arms swung down toward nearby group members, attempting to crush them. Teddie yelped.

"Gah! This Shadow's a lot scarier than any of the ones we've seen before!" he yelled, panic in his voice.

"The arms!" Rise yelled.

"Huh?" Shinji asked. But whatever Rise had said next had been missed completely. Distracted by her news, one of the four arms had swung back to hit Shinji. Shinji flew off of the ground and directly into a metal wall.

"Aaah! Shinji-kun!" Teddie exclaimed.

Shinji grunted. He felt himself slip off the wall and into the swallow pool of orange liquid below him. The smell was sickening. His sight was blurring. His stomach clenched, and he felt nauseous. They had to defeat this Shadow quickly or they would suffocate.

"R-rise-senpai…" he tried to find Rise in the mess of blurs that appeared in front of him. His glasses weren't broken, but they had fallen slightly. The fog was thick. He lifted his hand up to adjust his glasses, finally spotting Rise amongst the battlefield.

"Shinji-kun! Are you okay?" Rise asked.

"W-what were you trying to say?" Shinji asked, his voice choked. "The arms…?"

"Cut off the arms." Rise replied.

"Cut off the arms? Is it really that easy?" Asuka asked, hearing their conversation.

"There seems to be a flow of energy generally in those areas. Those rings of light around its elbows seem to be giving off the Hama attacks." Rise explained.

"Interesting." Naoto replied, raising her pistol toward the Shadow. She fired a shot at one of the arms. A bullet struck through a blue gash on the Shadow's body and the Shadow screeched. The arm fell off as if it were never connected, a sickening noise filling the air as it landed in the ooze below.

"Got it!" Naoto exclaimed.

"Bufula~!" Teddie followed in kind with an ice attack. Ice began to harden around another arm, piercing its tender skin with frozen pain. As the ice shattered, the Shadow let out a cry. The ring around that arm shattered along with the ice.

"_**Is this pain? This unbearable feeling? Do you feel it too? I shall… end it for you…**_"

The Shadow used its remaining three arms to reach out toward the group. White fingers wrapped around the bodies of Naoto, Teddie, and Asuka. Its arms rose up, lifting the bodies of Shinji's teammates into the air. Shinji stood alone on the field, his legs shaking from the impact he took before.

"AAAH! LET GO OF ME!" Asuka screamed from where she was held.

"Urgh… Shinji-kun… you have to…" Teddie tried to speak from where he was being gripped, but the Shadow's tight hold choked his voice.

"Garu!" Shinji tried to use a gust of wind to sever the arms. But when the wind swept against the pale white skin, it did nothing but leave a small scratch.

"H-huh? The arms are resistant to wind?" Rise asked from afar, shock turning her shout into a screech. "T-that can't be… why didn't it do anything?"

"Well, YOU'RE NOT HELP--GAAAAH!" Asuka tried to yell, but the Shadow tightened its grip. Naoto, Teddie, and Asuka all let out a yell, cringing. Naoto dropped her pistol. It clattered down into the orange liquid below, splashing near Shinji's feet. Shinji eyed it with his gaze shot open, the hand holding his sword fidgeting.

'_That cut the arm clean off…_' he thought, wondering if this was the only way. But he had no idea how to use a pistol, and if he did something wrong, he would hurt his friends.

"HURRY UP!" he heard Asuka bellow from where she was being held. He heard another loud splash from behind the beast, soon realizing that she had dropped her axe.

'_What do I do? What __**can**__ I do?_' Shinji thought in despair. '_Ayanami-san is in danger, and so is everyone else… I can't…_'

But then he remembered something. His last visit to the Velvet Room. A snowy demon that cackled as light as the first snowfall. A little chime rang through his head, demanding to be set free. Maybe that was the answer he sought. He tried to focus on that voice, on that entity that was born from the sea of his soul.

"JACK FROST!" he called out, the entity of Job vanishing from his mind and being replaced with the adorably strange Jack Frost. The small snow fairy appeared as the card was shattered, flipping in the air and flapping its hands.

'_When did he get another…_' Naoto's eyes widened from where she was being held by the beast, her oxygen depleting fast. She could only think in fragments, trying to summon sound in her throat, but failing. '_He truly is like Senpai…_' a memory flashed through her mind, the image of Souji Seta summoning multiple beings from his soul, the swipe of his katana releasing one after another.

Was this child truly his successor?

"Bufu!" Shinji raised his hand into the air and a gust of ice burst from Jack Frost's image. The ice caught onto the arm that held Naoto, freezing and bursting, cracking off the arm. It fell to the ground, the orange liquid spreading. Naoto landed face first into it, gasping for air and reaching for her pistol. She stood, regaining composure as fast as possible.

"Y-you… you changed your Persona…" Naoto murmured, facing him with a glare. Her voice shook as she tried to regain her breath.

Shinji didn't reply, as he didn't properly hear her. He glared at the next arm, preparing another Bufu. Another gust of icy wind flew at the arm that held Teddie, cracking the skin. It didn't quite fall off yet, and Naoto finished it off by firing a bullet at where the ring of ice had tried to destroy the limb. Teddie fell straight onto the ground along with the giant white arm, his suit squeaking as he got onto his feet.

"Don't worry Asuka-chan! I'll save you!" Teddie sounded determined. "Bear-sona!" he called Kamui from the card, using his claws to rake through it.

A stronger icy blast came from the mascot's Persona, shattering the last arm on the Shadow.

With all the limbs gone, the beast was left with nothing. However, to the surprise of the Persona-wielders, the four rings that formerly floated around the arms rose up from where they had been knocked down, floating near the giant Shadow.

"It isn't done yet!? Damn it, that should've taken care of it!" Asuka ranted, glaring over in Rise's direction.

The Shadow's armless body wriggled in the liquid, the level of orange suddenly rising. The Persona-wielders were nearly wading in this strange substance, the stench of something horrible filling the air. Shinji felt the familiar nausea fill his stomach from his first venture into the TV World, only on a much worse degree. He clutched his gut and squeezed the hilt of his sword. He eyed the floating rings by the armless Shadow and knew that the worst was yet to come.

"What is it planning on doing now?" Naoto asked sharply, her eyes narrow and her voice harsh.

"_**Am I that strange? Why am I being looked at like that?**_" the Shadow spoke again, a new expression in her voice. "_**Stop! This will… find my reason... for existence… and you… you have to die…**_"

As the Shadow spoke, the rings of light hovered toward the group, the four of them locating each member individually. Teddie shrieked and began to run in circles, trying to escape the shadow of the hovering ring above him.

Shinji tried to do the same, but the ring fell around him, trapping him.

"H-hey! What's going…" he was about to ask when the ring began to glow ominously, a circle of light trapping him within it. Particles of paper began to fly around him, the kanji for 'light' suddenly sketching itself slowly before his eyes in a bright, red ink-like substance.

Teddie was caught next, forced into the center of the ring that fell and trapped him. He panicked, trying to run fast enough to escape out of it. But no matter how much he tried to charge or claw his way out, a force kept him inside.

Asuka was trapped last. She screamed something that was cut off by the ring falling, the paper particles rising to obliterate her as the Shadow desired.

"Oh no… that can't be! H-hamaon..." Naoto exclaimed, recognizing the similarities to her own attack. She aimed her pistol at the ring that surrounded Shinji, but she was cut off by the ring that was assigned to her.

"Shoot!" Naoto yelled, her eyes wide. She aimed the pistol at the ring that trapped her and shot two bullets. A hollow CLANG echoed off the ring, the bullets bouncing back.

"Persona!" she yelled, trying to think on her feet. Yamato-Takeru appeared outside of the ring, which surprised her.

'_Perhaps if I can strike a blow to the Shadow, the attack will be nullifed!_' Naoto tried to think fast, using as much knowledge as she gathered about Shadows from before. She had never faced the Shadows of her friends, as she was the last to be found.

"MEGIDOLAON!" Naoto yelled, readying the almighty attack.

A burst of blue light shone from the ceiling, and suddenly that burst of light grew and exploded, colliding with the Shadow that controlled the rings that threatened the team. The beast screeched louder than ever before, a loud popping sound bursting from the Shadow's body, the Megidolaon forcing its body apart.

"Whoa!" Rise exclaimed, shielding her eyes from the powerful attack's visual. The rings around the other teammate's bodies suddenly faded from sight, diminishing to dust. Shinji shook, and Asuka regained her ground. Teddie ceased his running in place, ready for the next move.

Though heavily damaged, the Shadow wasn't done yet.

"It still wants to fight us?" Asuka taunted, a smirk streaking across her confident face.

"That should have gotten rid of all of its power… why is it still alive?" Rise asked, trying to scan it further.

The Shadow tried to speak, sounds emitting from its body that resembled moans and screeches. The group cringed at the sound that came from it, and prepared to fell it once and for all.

"Persona!" all four of them yelled, four entities released on the summon.

"VORPAL BLADE!" Naoto was the first to command an attack. Yamato-Takeru raced at the armless monster and raked sword through the white, exposed neck of the beast. Minimal liquid spilled from the line that traced around the giant's throat, as not much left remained within the Shadow.

"Bufudyne!" Teddie was next, bringing forth a chill greater than any other. It manifested as a block of ice, trapping the Shadow and then bursting, bringing great harm to the Shadow. The blue and orange gashes began to split open, the Shadow breaking apart even further. Screams and groans of pain filled the air, making Rise cringe in the corner.

"Fatal Attack!" Asuka was third, Mary Magdalene's fiery power launching a powerful physical blow to the largest piece of Rei's Shadow that appeared active. She pounded the Shadow to the ground, leaving it with no strength to fight back the final blow that would be delivered by Shinji.

He could feel the power of his new Persona welling up inside him, the chill and sheer cold of Jack Frost seeking a target to freeze. Shinji broke the card with the short sword, his hands shaking, but his confidence slowly rising. It was the Persona who wanted to battle, the self within him that desired to save Rei Ayanami!

"BUFULA!" he yelled, an icy wind that sent shards of sharp ice toward the Shadow. Cutting through the remains of the beast, the Shadow's gruesome form vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

Shinji collapsed to his knees, the battle finally over. He exhaled with a long breath, relief slowly spreading across his face.

"Well done." Naoto praised, though she seemed less than amused.

"Is it over _now?_" Asuka asked, annoyed. "Geez! I thought that thing would _never _die! Was mine that annoying? God, I hope not." Asuka tapped her foot in irritation, her shoe splashing the orange liquid. She grimaced.

"And just what _is _this stuff? It's GROSS." she exclaimed.

"I've never seen anything like it." Teddie marveled at it, the bottom of his suit soaked with the strange liquid.

"Uh… I don't even wanna know." Rise murmured, considering scanning it. The fact that it smelled like blood certainly didn't help.

"It came from Ayanami-san's Shadow…" Shinji muttered, wondering if the liquid was part of the Shadow itself.

"Hm, well, whatever it is, I'm sure it isn't important." Asuka concluded. Naoto glared for a moment, knowing that the littlest things could point to the correct conclusions, but whatever remark she was about to use to reply was suddenly put aside when a small groan came by Rise's side.

"Wha…" came the voice of the stirring Rei Ayanami. Her hair was soaking wet with the orange fluid, her eyes suddenly widening after her senses catching the stench that filled the air.

"Ayanami-san!" Shinji exclaimed, smiling. Relief replaced the feeling of nausea as he rushed to her side, the rest of the team following.

"Are you alright, Ayanami-san?" Naoto questioned, a rare note of concern on her breath. Rei seemed unsure, frowning.

"I…" she wasn't sure what to say, her eyes staring down at the fluid on the floor. She looked up, but not to look at the people who surrounded her, but instead she saw the mirror visage of herself, the Shadow had returned to human form.

Her Shadow watched her with sharp, yellow eyes, her expression unreadable as Asuka's had been after the monstrous form had been defeated.

"N-no, go away…" Rei whispered, backing up from where she was sitting, trying to get away from the Shadow. The Shadow did not react other than staring at her.

"Ayanami-san, you can't do that." Rise tried to calm her down, placing a hand on the teal-haired girl's tense shoulder.

"If you try to deny her again, she'll attack us." Naoto explained. "I know it's hard to accept it, but you must. For all of us."

"A-accept?" Rei's voice trembled, unsure of what she meant. She used Rise's body for support, her body shaking as she tried to stand. Her school uniform was soaked as her hair was, damp and reeking with the stench of blood that filled the room. But her focus remained on the Shadow who stood parallel to herself, her eerie, yellow eyes staring straight into her crimson ones.

"I don't understand myself." Rei spoke slowly, quoting her own Shadow from before. "I think that's true. People think I'm weird because I look really different. And because of that, I've begun to doubt my own understanding of who I really am." she looked to Shinji and Asuka, appearing troubled.

"I live alone. I have no siblings and my parents died some time ago. I have no roots or clues of where I've come from, or who in fact raised me. It's because of that and how I look that makes people point me out. I had no friends to really help me understand either, because everyone just _made fun of me_. It's made me so insecure…" she held herself, her arms shaking as she turned her gaze over back to her Shadow.

"But, I wanted to forget that, because it was troubling me too much. I tried to go along with my life, live like a normal person. I thought I finally forgot… until now." she glanced back at Shinji, who smiled supportively towards her.

"It's actually good I remembered, I guess. Now, I have friends who can help me." she smiled back to the others, who nodded in response.

The Shadow smiled and nodded slowly, vanishing. Then, a voice, soft and comforting, filled Rei's head. It was a voice only she could hear.

"_**By conquering your ego, a new form has made manifest.**_"

In the spot where Rei's Shadow stood, a white humanoid figure appeared. It was slender and had the same four arms that her Shadow had, only each hand held a different item. One held a silver sword, one held a golden goblet, another held a green and brown twig, and the last held a golden coin. Rings of light circled the elbows of each arm. Where her blood-colored eyes should have been was a blindfold, obscuring her eyes from the others. The figure's hair flowed freely and majestically, seeming tamer than the hair that the Shadow had.

"_**I am Deborah.**_"

As those words echoed through Rei's mind, the image vanished and a blue card floated towards Rei's own palms. Her eyes glowed as she felt the card between her fingers, taking in everything that had happened. She felt her knees grow weak again, and she fell.

"Ayanami-san!" Shinji and Asuka yelled in unison, Asuka jumping when she heard herself showing concern and respect to the teal-haired girl.

"I want to… sleep…" Rei whispered, her eyes drooping.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here." Teddie reassured the girl, smiling.

"Guys, we found her. She's safe and sound." Rise contacted the others in the dungeon. "Go to the exit. We'll meet you there." Rise told the others as she waded through the liquid toward the fading Rei.

"Hold onto me, Ayanami-san." Rise told Rei, holding out her hand for her to take. Rei, tired and hardly able to comprehend much information, nodded slowly and softly gripped Rise's hand.

Shinji was suddenly blinded by a burst of light, as the faint image of Kanzeon appeared over Rise's body, teleporting them out of the strange dungeon that Rei had created.

~*~*~*~*~

**April 24th, 2012**

**Evening**

**Weather: Clear**

The cheery music of the Junes Electronics Department filled his ears as they finally escaped the TV World. Shinji kept his eyes locked on Rise, who was helping Rei the entire way. Rei, who could barely keep her eyes open, seemed to need the support girl's help to even walk straight.

"Was I that pathetic looking after I got my Persona?" Asuka asked, glaring at them. Shinji frowned and decided not to answer her, too worried about Rei's condition to really reply. Asuka's glare sharpened when Shinji didn't reply.

"Shinji! She's alright?"

"Kaworu?" Shinji saw his silver-haired friend walk out of the TV after them, his gaze suddenly following Rise and Rei.

"I'm glad you guys found her. That place was hard to navigate through." Kaworu explained, frowning.

"It's thanks to Rise-senpai, actually. Without her help, we really would have been done for." Shinji explained.

"Aw, shucks, you don't have to say things like that." Rise heard him and blushed, keeping her grip on Rei. "I kinda want Kanji-kun to come out soon, so he can help carry her back to the Apartment she lives in."

"Why Kanji-senpai?" Kaworu asked, curious.

"'Cause I'm clearly suited for the job." came Kanji's voice from the TV. Followed by Chie, he stepped out and approached Rise.

"He doesn't know where her Apartment is, Rise-chan." Chie noted.

"I do. I can take her back." Naoto volunteered. She offered as if it were no different than any other chore she would do.

"I'll come with you then, Naoto-kun." Rise said with a bright smile.

"W-wait! Can I… come with you guys too?" Kanji was suddenly interested, which surprised Naoto, but left Rise with a wide smirk.

"Oh, really, Kanji-kun? Now you want to come along?" Rise cooed.

"You all just go take her back. I'm gonna go sleep, 'cause I'm dead tired too. I'll see you all when you can bother to think of other people besides that freak." Asuka glared at the group and stormed off.

"Geez, she's got an attitude." Chie sounded insulted.

"She's relieved too, I think." Kaworu replied, a small smile on his face. "We all are. What we did was dangerous, especially for Ayanami-san. She knows that."

"Is she jealous?" Rise asked.

"Perhaps." Kaworu chuckled.

"Aw, she's got no reason to be! They can be good friends!" Teddie cheered. Shinji smiled nervously.

'_I don't know about that…_' Shinji thought, gripping his sword with worry. '_But Kaworu's right. We don't need to worry about Souryu-san storming off._' Shinji thought, relieved.

"You should go home then." Chie told the others.

"Oh, if you say so." Kaworu nodded. "Would you like to walk home with me, Shinji?" he asked the timid boy. Shinji nodded, but turned back to look at the three second years who were going to help Rei home.

"Don't worry, she'll be okay with us." Rise assured them.

"We'll stay with her for the night and explain things to her in the morning." Naoto told them.

"That's a good plan." Chie agreed. "I'm going to stay here and wait for Yosuke and Yukiko to come out."

"I'll stay with you, Chie-chan!" Teddie waved his hand around energetically. "I can't go home without Yosuke with me. He has the keys."

"Didn't he give you a pair?" Chie asked, staring at him skeptically.

"He says he doesn't trust me with them." Teddie sulked, sounding sad about that fact. "He said that I might want to give it to a girl, but I'm not sure what he means."

"…Oh." Chie then understood Yosuke's motive.

Shinji and Kaworu walked outside with the seconds years and Rei, the two first years bidding goodbye to them before they headed off to Rei's apartment.

"Ikari-kun…" Rei muttered, her voice weak. Shinji turned to her.

"Thank you for saving me." she smiled warmly. "I'll make it up to you sometime soon, because I can help you now…" she muttered before her eyes fluttered closed and her body leaned completely against Rise's.

"W-whoa! Hey, she just fell asleep!" Rise exclaimed. Kanji bent over, letting Rise left Rei onto his back for him to carry.

"No worries. We'll just put her in a bed when we get back. Hopefully her door's unlocked." Kanji said.

"It's been unlocked for several days. It's a little unsettling, really." Naoto sighed.

They waved goodbye to the two first years and set off in the opposite direction, leaving Shinji and Kaworu to themselves.

"Did she have a Shadow like Souryu-san?" Kaworu asked calmly on their way back home.

"Yeah, it was white and had four arms. It kept bleeding this orange stuff." thinking about it made Shinji feel sick again. His pant legs were still soaking wet with the stuff.

"I see." Kaworu muttered, his expression unreadable.

"You don't remember how you got yours?" Shinji asked Kaworu, curious. Kaworu shook his head.

"Just… came to me." Kaworu explained. "Like it was a reflex." there was something in his voice that sounded very unsure and doubtful.

"Maybe you're like me then." Shinji concluded, unsure of how to take his tone. '_Maybe he just doesn't want to remember it. I shouldn't pry._'

They split ways after a few minutes of silence; the last words exchanged being a simple goodbye and a promise to see each other on the next day of school. Shinji returned to his house and collapsed on his bed, his dull gaze staring at the wall.

He felt as if he could sleep for a long, long time.

**To be continued.**


End file.
